This morning, many of us are emerging from the late coverage last night after the conviction of former President Donald Trump on 34 felonies. I was in the courtroom for the verdict, which hit like a thunderclap (particularly after a strange snafu with the judge). The question that everyone is asking: what happens next?
The scene in the court was a madhouse. Judge Juan Merchan told the court that the jury had not reached a verdict and would be dismissed for the day. Many reporters in the overflow courtroom were leaving when Merchan suddenly said that there was a verdict. People came running back into the courtroom. That was followed by 34 guilty verdicts.
I am obviously saddened by the verdict, but not surprised. Until the very end, I was hopeful that there would be a hung jury, a result that could restore some integrity to the New York criminal justice system. However, I previously noted that the jury instructions made conviction much more likely. I referred to the deliberations as a legal “canned hunt” due to instructions that made conviction a near certainty.
You could feel the weight of history in the courtroom, though we still have to see what history was made. For some, it was the conviction of the first president of a felony. For others, it was the key moment where the weaponization of the criminal system became clear and inescapable. It was both, obviously. Yet, the trial fulfilled narratives on both sides.
I ran outside to join the coverage. (One humorous moment was an officer screaming at reporters piling out of the courtroom to “walk not run.” It did not work.) It looked like the final judgment with everyone panicking to find an exit.
The scene outside the courtroom was surreal. The Trump supporters were outraged. The anti-Trump protesters were ecstatic, dancing and celebrating in the street.
While I have written a book about what I have called “the age of rage,” I am always shocked by such scenes. There is a dehumanizing element of these moments as people celebrate not just the first conviction of a president but a person. Rage is addictive and contagious. That was vividly evident outside the courtroom.
So what happens next?
Obviously, appeals will be taken. As I said last night, we must keep the faith. Indeed, moments like this require us to take a leap of faith in a nation that remains committed to the rule of law. Manhattan is neither the entirety of the country nor the legal system. I believe that these convictions will be overturned, but it will take time. Judge Merchan committed, in my view, layers of reversible error. Eventually, this case may reach the United States Supreme Court.
It has been suggested that an appeal could be taken directly to the Supreme Court. I find that doubtful after the Supreme Court rejected an expedited process for Special Counsel Jack Smith in his federal prosecutions. It will work first through the New York appellate system.
As for the criminal process, Trump will have to meet with a probation officer for an interview. That officer will make recommendations to the court.
There is a possibility of a jail sentence for felonies that come with up to four years for each offense. Any jail sentences would almost certainly run concurrently. However, any jail sentence would be ridiculous in Manhattan for an elderly first-offender in a non-violent offense.
Consistent with his past commentary, MSNBC legal analyst and former Mueller aide Andrew Weissmann predicted that Merchan will give Trump jail time. He is not alone as legal analysts seemed to get caught up in a thrill-kill conviction.
It is much more likely that Merchan will impose a sentence without a jail sentence, though with fines. The most appropriate, in my view, would be a conditional discharge that requires Trump not to commit a new crime or face potential imprisonment.
Merchan could also tailor a sentence to require home confinement or even weekend jailing. Those options would raise serious conflicts with his campaigning and obviously, if elected, serving as president. Even the probation process will be awkward since a convicted defendant ordinarily has to get approval for any travel outside of the state from his probation officer.
Sentences can also include community service, counseling and other requirements.
After his ruling in this trial, it is impossible to rule anything out. However, any jail sentence would add even more outrage to an abuse of the criminal law system.
Our commiepinkoes r not very bright. As a convicted felon, Trump’s popularity will increase exponentially (they should have known that). If they throw him in the slammer, he will become the most effective, dynamic government leader in world history.
ACLJ
A Breakdown Of Trumps Conviction and What’s To Come
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz2TIqTDlDU
When it comes to an appeal, Jay Sekulow is stating the usual norms of the process. This is not a standard norm NY process case, where a corrupt Trump hating Judge Merchan is bent on sending Pres Trump to prison.
This Judge is a deranged madman who has no regard for Pres Trump’s Due Process Rights, the Law. He’s psychotic.
The only way for Pres Trump to get this fraudulent rigged trial conviction of 34 fraudulent felony counts concocted out of a minor misdemeanor accounting log, overturned is to file a direct emergency appeal to the US Supreme Court on grounds of Unconstitutional breach of the law for political agenda purposes, Unconstitutional violation of Pres Trump’s Due Process Rights that were nakedly violated by a political criminal corrupt NY DA prosecutor and Judge to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election.
Your analysis IS THE BEST…lawyers for Trump need to TAKE YOUR ADVICE! thanks.
I totally agree I do not think any New York Court will back President Trump they have been sorosed-Stalinist into illegal court law.
Given that Trump was convicted of a federal crime, can he get an emergency clemency hearing in a court that is outside of New York?
I believe that all associated with this court process would probably be under serious scrutiny.
Professor, the one thing I always disagree with you ion is your faith in the system. Have you not yet come to the conclusion that the system is corrupt? Trump will be imprisoned by this partisan judge. He is as drunk with power as an alcoholic is drunk with whiskey. He wants to be the judge remembered in History for “Imprisioning the powerul so that no one is above the law.” Remember this judge comes from a part of the world better known as “Bananna Republics.” He has brought that levl of systemic corruption to his own courtroom. I know you will disagree with this assesment but optimism can and does cause nearsightedness and blindness. My guess is that in your career as a defense attorney you have had at least one innocent person convicted of a crime they did not commit. Trump is but another on the long list of wrongly convicted.
They imprison him and believe me when I say this,American Patriots of all color & creed, will make the 2020 riots,burnings,looting & lawlessness, look like it never happened..The ONLY thing that will prevent this INSURRECTION,cuz THAT is exactly what this is all about,preventing Trump from running again cuz they KNOW they CAN NOT beat him fairly,at the ballot box.
Their goal is One World Order, Globalism..The only thing that is going to quell this uprising,is same thing that quelled the uprising by the British in the Revolution of 1775, the uprising by the Rebel South in 1860 & the uprising of the Nazi’s in 1940..The Democrats & the Elitist Left are NO different from our enemies then and if anyone thinks that I am the only 64 year old taxpaying American citizen,willing to DIE RIGHT NOW,defending MY Country & OUR Constitutional Republic from this Domestic Terrorist attack,I swear on the souls of my Grandchildren,you are 100% wrong..
I agree – I’m 75 and it’s better to die holding an AR-15 than during the next global imposed pandemic.
It was indeed a real global pandemic And I favor Trump.
Sure -Americans dont even do anything about the corruption of some J6 political prisoners! When it comes down to it — its All talk.Should have created an information army news force long ago.. one library , loaded with facts , graphs, comparisons , taxes spent, anomalies , history etc etc information on all the topics! Short, at a glance eye catcher credible facts listed , with follow up resource info listed at bottom of page to repost , reprint, handout in front of cnn msdnc , street corners , bus stations etc , the good old fashioned way. All the items msm neglects to report & liberals ( and some conservatives) do not know. Its an information war – overcome censoring the good old fashioned way- with boots on the ground printed paper. People do not know if they do not know where or when to look . The goal is to open eyes , inform the uninformed – Overcome the information war.
If stumbling, bumbling, mumbling, Joe Biden can campaign from his basement and win, then the REAL PRESIDENT TRUMP can campaign from The Can and win BIGLY!!! TRUMP 2024 OR MORE!!!
It MUST be appealed directly to SCOTUS. This case is totally and completely different in every way than one of the other Lawfare morons seeking expedited process. How does that apply to interfering in the most important election in history? It does not. Not even in any tiny detail
Weird. Frankly, and my father and I disagree on this (both lawyers), I am surprised John Roberts has not already done something behind the scenes to prevent this outrage. He sits idle as the Justice System and the Rule of Law dissolve around him.
A political persecution like this cannot stand. SCOTUS should reverse within a WEEK, but certainly prior to sentencing. And they should publicly rebuke everyone involved in this case, including the White House (Colangelo) and recommend disbarment for Bragg and Merchan and all other lawyers on the prosecution side.
We are a Banana Republic, stop talking about the Constitution like it means something anymore! TURLEY, you talk nonsense like our judicial isn’t a corrupt joke!
“….The most appropriate, in my view, would be a conditional discharge that requires Trump not to commit a new crime or face potential imprisonment.”
Seriously, Jonathan? They just MANUFACTURED A CRIME CUSTOM FIT FOR TRUMP AND GOT AWAY WITH IT!
so what value is your pollyanna view of our “justice” system that says “don’t commit another crime or else” when this Soviet / CCP/ banana republic standard of justice will just manufacture another non crime and customize the judge and jury to get him on the flip side.
American legal system and everyone in it clinging to its virtue are disgraced
James, Bragg, Merchandise. Engeron, etc conspired to interfered with the 2024?federal election
Yes sir!
It looks like and I think they should be prosecuted for it.
Gloves off time.
This editorial is written like our justice system is fair. It is not. So the Nominee for POTUS in the lead should now bow and allow the system to continue to screw him over?
A red state should immediately grant Trump sanctuary JUST like we would do if a political legal travesty like this had happened on foreign soil.
Let NY prove its case via an extradition request. Now that would be a proper read on where we are at as a country at this point.
Absolutely agree with you. Our Judicial system is fractured. It is playing to political factions as the Founders feared. N.Y., at least the city has gone off the deep end. Not trying to hide its colors anymore. When Rudy was running the show as mayor the city made a resounding turn-around. Now it’s someplace unrecognizable to me. Don’t get me wrong, it was never a good place….always a heap of something. But in Guiliani’s days it was tolerable for the living that chose to call it home. This verdict against former President Trump was never going to be a legal verdict. Just as the FBI/CIA entrapment case in Florida, these allegations are the weight of the entire federal bureaucracy and the deep state against one man as the rest of us look on, praying he is strong enough to win for all of us so we can have our country back like it was when we were children. That is a huge ask for any one person, even if that person is Donald Trump. He has a confidence that comes from the fight he is in. The bigger the fight the more confident he is. Reagan needed Oliver North in the end to save his presidency, his reputation. Our greatest republican president: Richard Nixon, who by the way was more popular in his second election than Dwight D. Eisenhower the coinquirer of nations. Nixion brought down because he dared to challenge the power of a cross-dresser named J. Edgar Hoover when he told him he knew who was involved in the assassination of President Kennedy. From out of nowhere Watergate was born and dropped at the feet of President Nixon. Donald Trump has beaten back every single Watergate type accusation by the evil in our government, in our own country with fabricated lies and innuendo just like the type that brought down Nixon. Obama wiretapped Trump tower, that is an undisputed fact. Hillery paid for the Russia hoax, that too is an undisputed fact. Muller did what Mueller does, Palosi impeached President Trump a second time and failed. Palosi denied troops in D.C. on J6 then decried she was a victim; this too is an undisputed fact. They leave President Trump alone; they don’t give him a second look thinking they destroyed his reputation with all the cover-ups of election interference until he announces he will run for a third time. Then all of Obama’s wolves come out of the shadows again. Will this fiasco be overturned by the Supreme Court, absolutely it will. Only because this court is the first in a long, long time that actually has its bearings. What needs to happen is this judge in N.Y. needs to be subpoenaed by the House to prove his case step by step and word for word what transpired in his courtroom. The prosecutor needs to be held accountable to do the same and account for his sudden wealth in such a short period of time. Judicial and Prosecutorial misconduct is what transpired in that court room in my opinion. If their marching orders originated in the White House than that needs to be made public as well. The world is in chaos because we are in chaos as a nation. This crap needs to be stomped out. It took this country almost 100 years to complete the Revolutionary War to its completeness only to have its architect be assassinated before reconstruction could be complete that would have unified/galvanized this nation. Because of the element of people like the ones that did the backroom deal, the great bargain, the compromise of 1877 we are still fighting that battle today. Please don’t let this battle over good and evil go as long as that. It could all be over for us as a nation if something heroic is not done with more haste. Our elections are being stolen, (you know they are), corruption in government is rampant, terrorism is on the horizon again, and our nation is weaker than it has ever been in decades.
Back to public hanging for all these local and DC scum traitors of the usa
Funny you should mention public hanging. I was just thinking this morning that I now understand why the public enjoyed the shows at Tyburn. I think I would be tempted to go if Fatso and Marchan were on the ladders.
I totally agree
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸❤️🩹
Why is it that you, a constitutional law professor and supposedly an expert on the constitution, don’t understand that we are in a State of anarchy! If you are a constitutional Expert then you should know what “a constitution” is, and its purpose”.
Today, after almost 200 years of usurpation, improper consolidation, and corruption, including the corruption of the suffrage of the people, our governing system cannot police itself, we cannot make valid laws, and we have absolutely no way to enforce any law, but we do have the power to inflict the power of government on the less fortunate, but the elite, nothing. Even though there is no justification for an appeal, I’m sure Trump will be granted an appeal, and then that appeal will end up in our improperly established Supreme Court where all his convictions will be overturned, and that somehow will constitute our justice system operating properly as a protector of our democracy!
The Justice system cannot be the predominant governing institution in our governing system, it must be ancillary and subordinate, just like the Executive Department. Here is a citation from Federalist #51 which discusses the assembly and distribution of power between the different departments, which political geniuses like yourself misconstrue into 3 coequal branches of government:
[Federalist #51, “ The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments”, Madison c.1788.
This policy of supplying, by opposite and rival interests, the defect of better motives, might be traced through the whole system of human affairs, private as well as public. We see it particularly displayed in all the subordinate distributions of power, where the constant aim is to divide and arrange the several offices in such a manner as that each may be a check on the other that the private interest of every individual may be a sentinel over the public rights. These inventions of prudence cannot be less requisite in the distribution of the supreme powers of the State. But it is not possible to give to each department an equal power of self-defense. In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates. The remedy for this inconveniency is to divide the legislature into different branches; and to render them, by different modes of election and different principles of action, as little connected with each other as the nature of their common functions and their common dependence on the society will admit.]
“To Constitute” means to form or assemble, and the only thing formed and assembled by the Constitution of the United States is congress as a legislative assembly of the States as the Union governed by legislative processes to reach a majority consensus of All the States as the Union and Established Government Authority. Without this assembly of the States as the Union in Congress, we do not have an Established Government Authority and therefore are in a State of anarchy. The Constitution is no more, and no less, than the Blueprints and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to assemble and operate Congress as a legislative assembly governed by legislative processes to reach a majority consensus of all the States as the Union.
“A Democracy” is a legislative assembly, “Democracy” is how that legislative assembly is formed and how it functions, and “Consensus Choice” is the legislative process which governs how that legislative assembly reaches a majority consensus of all that are assembled as a democracy.
You always must have a stable governing institution, free of the mutability and corruption inherently a part of governing systems to stabilize the system. That governing institution in our system is the Senate, a discrete democracy of the States at the Union, where all the States are assembled as equals with equal suffrage to reach a majority consensus of All the States as the Union and Established Government Authority. This is what was established by the Articles of Confederation, and reinforces and balanced by the Constitution of the United States to form a More Perfect Union, as the Senate has the power of concurrence over all laws and all treaties, that’s all domestic and all foreign policy!
Where is that discrete democracy of the States today?
Gee, thanks for that educational lesson to us.
Perhaps you should have spent more time delving into Federalist #10, and how our founding fathers feared political party “factions” and “that the public good is disregarded in the conflicts of rival parties,” as we indeed witness today. Excerpted therefrom:
“By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”
Good for you! That other guy or Gal, whatever, never made a lucid point.
You lost everyone with a room temperature IQ at “no grounds for an appeal”
Einstein
You are correct in that No Freakin Point None Never made a point in his ramble. I wonder if he even knows that one favorite tactic of the communists is to sully the definition of words. Does he know that they call US a democracy even though we are a Republic? They have gotten the indoctrinated public school students to believe it. As much respect as I have for our host here ,I must agree that the communists ( I quit calling them liberals, or even democrats ) have made this country less than a normal Banana Republic . From such great heights we have fallen. I cannot quite understand how so much hatred can live in power-hungry men and women that have License To Lie. But they Will reap their rewards in due time.
The Senate is not chosen any differently than the legislative body your ‘Quote” speaks of,,,,they are popularly elected…..therefore your argument is USeless.
And the zionists own the senate and the rest of the whole shooting match
AMEN BROTHER – PREACH IT! The 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution changed our country drastically. That Amendment castrated the individual States authority & power, and is largely responsible for the predicament we are in now.
Thanks for the lesson in opinionated mumbo jumbo, professor. Trump doesn’t deserve an appeal, but he’ll get one? What the eff does that mean, lefty?
It is incredible to me, after reading a large number of the responses here, that nearly none discuss what a Biden 2nd term would bring upon the United States through January of 2029 —
More of the same. But if rhey get control of the house and real majority in the senate, we are doomed.
Congress is Uniparty. Biden, Hailey, other than Trump, will make no difference in what happens between now and 2029. It will be just more of the same.
That’s why the Executive Department, including the President of the United States, have absolutely no leadership or decision making powers, which by Article 1 Section 1 are vested in the united States, in congress assembled, the Union and Established Government Authority!
Legislative Power is the power to make collective decisions governed by legislative processes to reach a majority consensus of all that are assembled, the States, which makes the Union as assembled in Congress the Established Government Authority! The purpose of government is to make collective decisions, and the governor is the legislative processes to reach a majority consensus! The people, and the States, are not governed, the collective decision making of the States and the People is governed!
“That’s why the Executive Department, including the President of the United States, have absolutely no leadership or decision making powers…”
wrong again. Article II delineates the exclusive powers vested in the President/Executive Branch.
!
NoFreakinPointNone: Thanks for the laughs. In these trying times it’s nice to have a court jester
I think the real question is what would a Presidency under Kamala Harris look like. The only certainties in our lives are death, war, and taxes …. Biden is clearly declining. This whole situation is Trump versus Harris. Think about that.
It is very early to weigh the impact of this vedict, but nearly all the early indications are that it has not dented Trump’s prospects of winning the election.
Trump gained 0.1 in the RCP average, and the election reporting is now claiming VA is a dead heat.
This election is going the WRONG way for Biden. Not only is he losing in ALL swing states. but Biden’s margin of victory in all blue states is way down – while Some are now in play. even those that are not have shifted enough that Biden will lose the popular vote by large margins.
And the FED just announced a significant increase in inflation – while we are not returning to the 9% levels earlier – economic indicators are all headed the wrong way for Biden who needs a strong economic recovery in the next 6 months.
The Left Miscalculated
In the first 24 hours after the (bogus) conviction, average Americans donated some $53 million to the Trump campaign.
Americans still do not like bullies.
And they do not like America being transformed into a Soviet-style state.
It is still early to gauge the impact of this on the election. Though the long term negative impact on NY is near certain.
While before this many people – often democrat investors noted the problems this was causing.
The big impacts will be quieter and unseen – what does NOT happen rather than what does.
Investment that DOES NOT occur, projects that are dropped or just note even considered.
Coases law states that with strong protections for rights markets on their won will sort everything else out the most efficient and beneficial way possible.
But without those protectins – without the rule of law. Markets do not work as well and everyone is worse off.
Sure if you believe Trump’s self-reported, unaudited numbers on his fundraising you have not been paying attention to the evidence in any of the Trump trials.
LMAO
Denial
Its so becoming
Turley Collegue Critiques Trial
The defense didn’t have to prove anything. But Mr. Trump’s lawyers failed to suggest any coherent, alternative explanation of events that might have raised a reasonable doubt in the minds of one or more jurors.
Instead, the defense was vintage Trump: I’m a victim. Deny everything. Everyone else is lying and out to get me. Witnesses who could safely be largely disregarded must instead be attacked and destroyed.
Whether this was at the insistence of the client or the counsels’ own decision, it led the defense to make inconsistent arguments that simply were not credible. Once you lose your credibility with jurors by denying things that seem clear and obvious, they are less likely to believe what you say about the things that are really in dispute.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/31/opinion/trump-trial-defense.html
…………………………………….
This was written by Randall D Ellison who teaches white-collar crime at George Washington University Law School.
Ellison, like Turley, was originally a skeptic of this case. But after attending the trial he discovered the prosecution was better organized than expected.
And, ‘yes’, we can imagine Trump ran his own defense. ‘Ran it into the ground’, that is. Because geniuses like Trump don’t listen to lawyers!
How To Lose A Case
Doze Throughout The Trial
Jurors might have been fine with him falling asleep occasionally. But inside the courtroom we noticed on the monitors (which showed Trump from the front) that his eyes were closed every day and for large portions of the testimony. That’s a bad look for any defendant trying to win favor with the jury.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/28/opinion/thepoint/trump-trial-mistakes
…………………………………………..
The title of this piece is: “Six Of Trump’s Dumbest Trial Mistakes”.
One noticed in mainstream coverage, for each of the trial days, continuous references to Trump’s dozing in court. That’s a dumb mistake alright!
Think about it. Trump naps at the defense table in plain sight of the jury. Then he wakes up for court recess, goes outside, and proceeds to attack the court. How dumb can you get.
Comically Trump kept complaining that the courtroom was too cold. It’s cold to keep you awake, dufus!
If the jury sees the defendant napping, on a routine basis, it looks like he doesn’t care. So sleep through this, you arrogant jerk: ‘Thirty four felonies’.
And like we really want a president who sleeps through his own trial. It’s Trump’s attention span, of course. We’ve been hearing for years he has ‘no’ attention span.
Is that your argument ? That Trump was convicted because the Jury was pissed because he did not pay rapt attention to the lawless nonsense going on ?
Contra this Kangaroo court – RIGHTS belong to the DEFENDANT.
He had the RIGHT to free speach – that was gagged.
He had the RIGHT to choose not to be there if he wished.
He had the RIGHT to disrespect the judge and the jury.
If you sit on a jury and convict a defendant for any other reason that participation in an actual crime – then YOU are the criminal.
Please write comments worth reading.
Of course the defense did not have to prove anything – there is no CRIME.
While clearly people in Manhattan are stupid – the rest of the country is NOT.
A criminal act is not – something that some people somewhere do not like.
A crime is the use of force or fraud to deprive others of something that is theirs – their property or their actual rights.
There was no evidence produced in this entire trail that force was used.
There was no evidence in this entire trial that anyone was deprived of property or had their actual rights curtailed.
Therefore there was no crime, there was no fraud.
If you wish to claim that in left wing nut world – or NYC that a crime is something different – all well and good.
Rational people will choose not to live or do business in new york city.
Government exists SOLELY to protect the inalienable rights of citizens.
Not to protect them from thoughts or words they do not wish to hear, or people they decide they do not like.
There are consequences to the collapse of the rule of law.
Throughout the world there are plenty of places blessed with the natural resources of the US or even more.
Throughout the world standard of living correlates incredibly to “the rule of law”.
The Rule of law is NOT some arbitrary system of laws that those in power – or even a majority prefer.
The rule of law is the system of laws that we have evolved over millennia to protect the rights and property of people.
The consequences of the rule of law is the ultimate in individual liberty possible without infringing on the actual rights of others.
That is the foundation for prosperity.
If you do not have – or you erode the rule of law. you chip away at your own standard of living.
Steaming turd^^^^^
Jonathan Turley was a law professor of mine when he was briefly at Tulane. He was an excellent teacher. How he went down the right wing, Fox News, pro-Trump rabbit hole is unfathomable to me. In my opinion, Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy. It is beyond me how anyone can support the man in the face of his behavior, his rantings, his bald faced lies, his attempts to subvert the 2016 election, his undermining of our legal system and our democracy, and his sore loser refusal to accept the fact that he lost reelection.
Correction – I meant to say his attempts to subvert the 2020 election.
How so ?
Regardless, this is a ludicrously stupid claim and typical of the 1984 newspeak of the left.
Hillary continues through this day to rant that the 2016 election was stolen.
Post election she engaged in some challenges, she then moved to trying to persuade electors to change their votes.
The plan that Eastman presented to Trump that Trump supporters tried to persue on J6 was crafted By Lawrence Tribe for Hillary Clinton.
And as with every election in which a Republican won the presidency – Democrat Senators and Representatives challenged the certification of that election in congress.
The only thing that was unusual in 2020 was the strength of those challenging the election. While it was not going to prevail – this was a hail mary play it was still atleast an order of magnitdue more credible than the claims of Clinton in 2016 or Democrats in the past generally.
I would further note that the Tribe/Eastman Clinton/Trump plan was modeled after what ACTUALLY happened in the election of 1876.
Which DID result in congress certifying a candidate using ALTERNATE slates of electors.
You can dislike all of this. But it is all constitutional and legal. If you do not like it – change the law and the constitution.
Frankly to alter the congressional certification of elections – you MUST change the constitution.
The constitution explicitly makes the rules by which congress performs its constitutional roles, the exclusive business of congress.
We have many historic examples of legislation regarding elections, but ultimately a past congress does not have the constitutional power to dictate to a future congress how it will perform a congressional function.
Post 2020 Democrats passed new federal election laws, that purportedly made the Tribe/Eastman plan impossible in the future.
As is common in legislation – the new law did no such thing. A substantial portion of the law congress passes accomplishes nothing and its primary purpose is to shill to the public claim to have actually done something based on the WORDS of the title of the legislation.
Congress has done absolutely nothing post the 2008 financial crisis to address either th REAL or the left wing nut claimed causes of the financial crisis. To the extent they have actually done anything – they likely made the problem worse. But there was LOTS of things in the financial crisis legislation that accomplished unrelated political goals. That is not the slightest unusual.
The 2021 election act did NOTHING to preclude the future implimentation of the Tribe/Eastman plan – and infact we here rumblings even today that should Trump narrowly win the 2024 Election that Democrats are already working on a 2024 version of the Tribe/Eastman plan to prevent Certification of Trump as president.
I would further note there was a similar plan in 2020 by Democrats should Trump narrowly win the election.
Post the 2020 Election Time Magazine laid out the successful Democratic plan to “subvert” the 2020 election.
Attempts to undermine the outcome of an election are not unique to one candidate or one party.
Both real and false claims of the infidelities and sexual misconduct of politicians as well as efforts to cover those up are older than this country.
No u can stick with 2016, Hillary, er i mean, Gigi
How has Turley gotten where he is ?
To a very large extent – Turley has not changed – the left has.
To the extent that Turley has changed it is because the left has red-pilled him.
You are free to hate Trump, You can vote for him or not.
He can SAY absurd things such as that he is a threat to democracy.
Though expecting others to believe that on your say is nonsense.
What you can NOT do is transform claims like “A threat to democracy” into the abuse of power to forestall that alleged threat.
You can not sacrifice the rule of law, the constitution, anyone’s individual rights in order to “get Trump” – or ANYONE that you think is a threat to democracy.
This specifically is one of the many flaws in left wing ideology going back at-least to the french revolution.
Either your ideology, your principles, are so fundamental that the work when strictly followed – REGARDLESS of the threat,
or they are worthless.
We have had left revolutions throughout the past several hundred years of human history. Inarguable all sought to fundamentally change oppressive regimes that were in place at the time. But we do not judge an ideology by the flaws in what it seeks to replace but in what it ultimately delivers.
The left knows Trump is not a threat to democracy — this is just a laughable scare tactic.
“In my opinion, Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy”
Fine, but most of us are persuaded by evidence and argument – not mere opinion.
“It is beyond me how anyone can support the man in the face of his behavior, his rantings, his bald faced lies,”
That is trivial – look at any politician on the left and explain to me how they differ – beyond that you prefer their policies.
“his attempts to subvert the 2016 election”
How so ? Did Trump create a false set of claims about his political opponent that they were enthralled to a foreign power and then report that hoax as an alleged from to the FBI in order to gain political advantage ?
What claim of the left regarding the 2016 election does not boil down to your demand that OTHER people be force-ably informed of allegations of perfectly legal conduct that is none of your business that you believe would have altered the outcome of the election.
Does that apply equally to democrats ? Are we entitled to KNOW if Joe Biden raped Tara Read ? Are we entitled to KNOW if Joe Biden showered naked with his pre-teen daughter ? Are we entitled to KNOW if Joe Biden Groped the breasts of women in his SS detail or the wives and daughters of SS agents ?
In what world are you allowed to FORCE everyone else to have their face rubbed in a not all that credible allegation of consensual marital infidelity – atleast the allegations against Joe Biden are actually crimes.
Regardless, my POINT is that your idea of “election interferance” seems to be forcing others – not you, because you have already reached your conclusions regarding Trump – or are you claiming that in 2016 you voted for Trump not knowing of the Daniels allegation and that you would have voted differently had you know ?
You do not like Trump, you do not like what he says, you do not like his policies, you do not like his tie, you do not like his comb over. Whatever your reasons – You are free to chose not to vote for him.
What you are NOT free to do is FORCE your views, your priorities, your oppinions, your decisions on others.
How has Trump “undermining of our legal system” ?
He is NOT the one who has weaponized the powers of government and law against – not merely political opponents – but the entire class of people who disagree politically.
When you go down the road of censoring people you disagree with, Disbarring attorney’s who take cases you oppose, criminally prosecuting political opponents, and their supporters, and just ordinary people whose political views you disagree with.
When YOU weaponize government to SWAT pro-life (or pro-choice) protesters, when YOU have government spy on Catholics (or Muslims).
when YOU have government investigate parents complaining about the education of their children
YOUR THE PROBLEM.
“and our democracy”
Thankfully – we are not a democracy.
Regardless YOU are the one looking to subvert the democratic elements of our governance.
YOU are the ones that are trying to keep people off the ballot – whether it is RFK jr, or Trump.
You are the ones opposing citizens efforts to restrain governments power to limitlessly tax them.
“his sore loser refusal to accept the fact that he lost reelection.”
So don’t vote for him.
If the gist of your post is “don’t vote for Trump” – you are perfectly entitled to that opinion.
But time after time the left goes beyond holding and sharing an opinion to using whatever power they might have to either suppress opinions they disagree with or to use FORCE aka Government to impose those opinions on others.
And that is about as anti-democratic as it gets.
You seem to be describing Hillary Clinton.
Your ranting as if you are some expert on some established objectively correct way to conduct elections yet for the most part, this seems to most of the rest of us to be “The objectively correct way to conduct an election is the one in which my candidates win”
The fundamental requirement for an election is the a the results are Trusted by nearly all of the people – Especially the losers.
The 2016 election FAILED to obtain the trust of a significant portion of the electorate. The consequence of this was a improperly and badly conducted investigation that ultimately found the allegations that resulted in this distrust were based on a HOAX.
While I oppose structural aspects of these investigations, it was still absolutely necessary to conduct real investigations to assure the dubious portions of the electorate that the election in fact was conducted properly.
The 2020 election FAILED to obtain the trust of a significantly LARGER portion of the electorate. The consequence of this was efforts from before the election through to this day to Thwart any of the inquiry necessary to actually assure those who distrust the 2020 election that their distrust is unfounded.
You do not persuade skeptics by thwarting all efforts at inquiry, and then punishing those who remain doubtful.
You are not obligated to agree with the reasons that others doubt your claims about elections or really anything else.
You are free to jeer at them – though is would be wise to be sure you are right before doing so.
It should not surprise you that the skeptics of the 2020 election Do not believe the same people who were deceived into believing the 2016 election was corrupt.
What you are not free to do is use FORCE aka Government to steam roll over their doubts.
As improper and badly conducted as the investigations of the 2016 election were – they were necessary – because the legitimacy of ANY government rests on the trust of the electorate. It is the Duty of govenrment to conduct elections such that people trust them.
If a sufficient portion of the electorate – less than a majority, do not trust an election – that election and the resulting government are NOT legitimate. The duty to establish that trust rests with the govenrment. The requirements for a trustworthy election are set by the doubters – NOT those who are happy with the outcome.
GV doesn’t mention how DEMOCRATS tried to subvert the 2016 election and how they did subvert the 2020 election. Hey GV, is it ok that Biden had Blinken gather 51 Intelligence Officers to lie about the laptop and suppress that story?
. He was an excellent teacher. How he went down the right wing, Fox News, pro-Trump rabbit hole is unfathomable to me
You may have taken a class or two with Professor Truley. You comment informs us, you either did not learn anything, or maybe just lack the capacity to understand.
All of Turelys writings since I have here, focus on the law and Constitution.
Like today’s posting, Professor Turley is warning of the abuse of the rule of law, and violation of citizens rights by the government. The abuse of the law to further political interests, at the cost of enumerated Rights, possessed by all, and protected in the Constitutions.
It you have some difference of opinion concerning this post, offer up your objections. The differences can be debated.
But your ignorance of the topics, tell me you most likely never took a law course.
This was to be expected. The wounds to be inflicted on New York because of Letitia James and Bragg and their politicized judges have only begun to be inflicted and they will be deep and festering. Two lawyers may have begun the final destruction of the state.
FROM FOX:
“Real estate investor Grant Cardone appeared on the fox Business Network this week following the Trump verdict and said that it is going to have far reaching effects on the city’s economy.
He suggested that nobody (including him) wants to do business in New York City anymore because they no longer trust the political and legal system there.
Cardone says that the people who are invested in his company wouldn’t even allow him to do business there.
If they can do this to Donald Trump, a former president, regardless of how you feel about the politics, if they can do this to a former president, what can they do to Grant Cardone? What can they do to any other businessman?,” the Cardone Capital founder also chimed in Friday on “Varney & Co.”
More from Fox:
“Cardone recently pulled his business out of the Empire State and cautioned that Trump’s legal troubles — including a previous $355 million fine in a New York civil fraud case in February — would “wreak financial havoc” on the city.
“I have 15,000 investors with me at Cardone Capital. We’ve raised $1.3 billion. If I went to them today and said, ‘I want to invest in New York City,’ they would not give me money to do that,” the investor argued.
“That’s one of the greatest cities on planet Earth. And nobody wants to go there and do business,” Cardone continued. “I blame the legal system. Clearly, the political system has been weaponized.”
When this is reversed – with probably even more excoriating language than the unanimous SCOTUS decision reversing Jack Smith’s (yes that Jack Smith) conviction of Obama/Biden’s most feared potential opponent for their 2012 reelection, where they called him out as “a threat to the nation’s separation of powers – will any of the Soviet Democrat police state fascists suddenly say “Well, I guess it wasn’t a rigged police state fascist prosecution after all”?
No. They’ll switch to pimping for Jack Smith taking out Trump this time in the same fashion as he used to convict McDonnell – a template of police state fascism that Alvin Bragg and this judge tag teamed to repeat in this conviction.
And both of them know, as our resident Soviet Democrat police state fascists know, that their careers after reversal will not be harmed any more than Jack Smith’s career was harmed.
Outlaw or shower dad? You decide.
https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1796627672723832917
I would like to see all jury members interviewed live on TV ASAP. But the interview has to be a real one with real questions. It would go something like this:
Interviewer: Juror #1, you found Trump guilty. Can you tell us what crime Trump committed?
Juror #1: No, I can’t remember, but he was definitely guilty of something.
Interviewer: And Juror #2, same question.
Juror # 2: We found Trump guilty of commiting 34 crimes.
Interviewer: You mean counts, not crimes, right?
Juror #2: Counts? Crimes? What’s the difference. Trump’s guilty.
Interviewer: But guilty of what?
Juror #2: Well, for one thing, he forced Stormy Daniels to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Interviewer: How did he force her to sign anything? What evidence did you hear supporting that? And why is signing a non-disclosure agreement a crime? NDAs are signed all of the time.
Juror #2: When someone signs a NDA that could benefit Trump in any way, that makes it a crime. Trump’s guilty. That’s all there is to it.
Okay, this gives you an idea of what an interviewer of the jurors would sound like. And now you know why the jurors won’t be heard from again.
Sounds about right. New Yorkers are a rare breed. They are one of the few distinct groups of people on the planet with IQs measured at negative 57.