The end of President-elect Donald Trump’s legal troubles may be on the horizon as the start of his second term nears. Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith is aiming to close both the 2020 election interference case and the classified documents case before Trump takes office.
In a unrelated development, a New York judge has granted Trump’s request to file a motion to dismiss charges in the hush money case, and has canceled the sentencing date. Trump’s legal team and other defendants had previously asked the court to halt the case until 2029.
Syracuse University College of Law professor Gregory Germain and Palm Beach County state attorney Dave Aronberg both agree that this ruling does not signal how the court will ultimately rule on the motion, and that the case will likely continue, with the sentencing delayed until 2029.
In a separate development, the Georgia Court of Appeals has canceled oral arguments in the case alleging election interference, leading some to speculate that the case may be dismissed. Germain and Holloway agree that this case is likely to be dismissed, while Aronberg expects Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to stay on the case and see it through to its conclusion.
The Court of Appeals did not provide a reason for canceling the oral argument, but Germain noted that if the appellants lose, it would be unlikely for the Court to have canceled the oral argument.
