Trump Team Moves to Delay E. Jean Carroll Civil Suit

Donald Trump’s legal team has been very busy this week, filing for yet another delay in proceedings, this time for the E. Jean Carroll civil suit for defamation.

Trump is asking for a 90-day delay so that it may consider various appellate options, including taking the case before the Supreme Court.

If I am counting correctly, this is now the third case that Trump has tried to delay.

Hold Up

Trump lost the initial case against Carroll and was ordered to pay her $5 million in the defamation suit.

After the case was over, Trump again posted about Carroll on Truth Social, and her attorneys immediately noted that he had just opened himself up to another defamation suit.

Trump has already learned that his immunity does not apply to the case, which came down in a ruling last week, hence the appeal.

His attorneys argued, “The requested stays are necessary and appropriate to give President Trump an opportunity to fully litigate his entitlement to present an immunity defense in the underlying proceedings, including pursuing the appeal in the Supreme Court if necessary.

“The denial of this right would upend the longstanding rule that lower courts are divested of jurisdiction for the pendency of an immunity-related appeal.”

The filing continued, “Forcing President Trump to stand trial absent a final determination as to whether his presidential immunity defense is viable would be the ‘quintessential form of prejudice’ and would deprive the immunity of its intended effect.

“A stay of district court proceedings is mandated under the longstanding rule that a lower court is divested of jurisdiction throughout the pendency of an immunity-related appeal.”

From what I have read and based on previous Supreme Court rulings regarding presidential immunity, I don’t think Trump will win his appeal for immunity, even if it goes to the Supreme Court.

The court has been very clear about the fact that immunity only goes as far as official presidential duties while in office, and it would be hard to argue that the comments made by Trump against Carroll were part of his duties.

Regardless, his team will try to delay this as long as possible to avoid any repercussions the case could have against him in the primary and general elections.