Following former President Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsified business records, Yale Law Professor Jed Rubenfeld has analyzed the legal strategies Trump’s defense team could pursue to minimize the impact on his 2024 presidential campaign. One option is an appeal through the New York Appeals Court system, which could take years to complete and result in “irreparable harm” if the conviction is overturned later. Another option is to sue in federal court and request an emergency temporary restraining order to halt Judge Juan Merchan from entering a formal judgment of guilt until the federal courts can review the constitutional arguments against the conviction. Rubenfeld emphasizes that Trump is not yet a “convicted felon” until a judge enters the judgment of guilt, so there may still be avenues to challenge the outcome before the election.
