The 2012 NFL MVP has warrants out for his arrest, according to USA Today, for failing to appear in court for two different child support cases.
The warrants were issued in Fort Bend County in Texas, USA Today reported. Its sheriff's department did not immediately confirm this information to Fox News Digital.
"The current legal case is related to a misunderstanding regarding Adrian’s court appearances as it relates to child support, and he is actively working with his legal team to resolve this matter as quickly as possible," his publicist, Denise White, said in a statement to USA Today. "He is committed to clearing up this situation and moving forward positively."
Despite earning over $100 million in his career, the former Minnesota Vikings running back has also been in trouble with bank loans. Court records in February said Peterson had not paid any of the $8.3 million he owed to DeAngelo Vehicle Sales LLC, which he was ordered to pay over three years earlier. He was ordered to pay a creditor $2.4 million in 2019 and had to pay a Minnesota bank the year prior.
Peterson missed all but one game in the 2014 season after his indictment on charges of reckless or negligent injury to a child. He pleaded no contest to assaulting his son, 4 years old at the time, with a tree branch.
In 2022, Peterson was arrested after an incident with his wife on a plane. But his wife said it was only an argument, and charges were dropped.
Peterson rushed for 14,918 yards in his career, leading the league in rushing three times. He's one of six running backs to rush for 2,000 yards in a season and was eight yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season record in 2012.
He does, though, hold the record with 296 rushing yards in one game, which he accomplished in his rookie season. He ran for 253 of those yards in the second half.
President Biden has sparked anger among Pennsylvanians after he commuted the sentence of a corrupt judge who was jailed for more than 17 years after he was caught taking kickbacks for sending juveniles to for-profit detention facilities.
In what came to be known as the kids-for-cash scandal, former Judge Michael Conahan shut down a county-run juvenile detention center and shared $2.8 million in illegal payments from the builder and co-owner of two for-profit lockups. Another judge, Mark Ciavarella, was also involved in the illicit scheme, the effects of which are still felt today among victims and families.
The scandal is considered Pennsylvania’s largest-ever judicial corruption scheme with the state's supreme court throwing out some 4,000 juvenile convictions involving more than 2,300 kids after the scheme was uncovered.
Conahan, 72, pleaded guilty in 2010 to one count of racketeering conspiracy but was released from prison to home confinement in 2020 because of COVID-19 health concerns with six years left in his sentence.
But Biden, the so-called favorite son of Scranton, commuted Conahan's sentence Thursday as part of the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history in which he commuted jail sentences for nearly 1,500 people and granted 39 pardons.
"My Administration will continue reviewing clemency petitions to advance equal justice under the law, promote public safety, support rehabilitation and reentry, and provide meaningful second chances," the president said.
Sandy Fonzo, who once confronted Ciavarella outside federal court after her son was placed in juvenile detention and committed suicide, said that the president’s actions were an "injustice" and "deeply painful."
"I am shocked and I am hurt," Fonzo said in a statement, per The Citizens Voice. "Conahan‘s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son’s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power. This pardon feels like an injustice for all of us who still suffer. Right now I am processing and doing the best I can to cope with the pain that this has brought back."
The decision has raised questions as to why Biden would choose to commute the sentence of a judge who is detested in the area.
Fox News has reached out to the White House for comment but has not received a response.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that he opposed the president's actions and insisted that the judge should have been given a longer prison sentence given the damage he inflicted on families.
"I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in Northeastern Pennsylvania," Shapiro said at a press conference in Scranton Friday while adding he was not privy to all the information about the decision.
"This was not only a black eye on the community, the kids for cash scandal, but it also affected families in really deep and profound and sad ways. Some children took their lives because of this. Families were torn apart. There was all kinds of mental health issues and anguish that came as a result of these corrupt judges deciding they wanted to make a buck off a kid's back."
"Frankly, I thought the sentence that the judge got was too light, and the fact that he's been allowed out over the last years because of COVID, was on house arrest and now has been granted clemency, I think, is absolutely wrong. He should have been in prison for at least the 17 years that he was sentenced to by a jury of his peers. He deserves to be behind bars, not walking as a free man."
The scheme began in 2002 when Conahan shut down the state juvenile detention center and used money from the Luzerne County budget to fund a multimillion-dollar lease for the private facilities.
Ciavarella, who presided over juvenile court, pushed a zero-tolerance policy that guaranteed large numbers of kids would be sent to PA Child Care and its sister facility, Western PA Child Care.
Ciavarella ordered children as young as 8 years old to detention, many of them first-time offenders deemed delinquent for petty theft, jaywalking, truancy, smoking on school grounds and other minor infractions. The judge often ordered youths he had found delinquent to be immediately shackled, handcuffed and taken away without giving them a chance to put up a defense or even say goodbye to their families.
In 2022, both Conahan and Ciavarella were ordered to pay more than $200 million to nearly 300 people they victimized, although it's unlikely the now-adult victims will see even a fraction of the damages award.
During the case, one victim described how he shook uncontrollably during a routine traffic stop — a consequence of the traumatizing impact of his childhood detention — and had to show his mental health records in court to "explain why my behavior was so erratic."
Several of the childhood victims who were part of the lawsuit when it began in 2009 have since died from overdoses or suicide, prosecutors said.
The scheme, per The Citizens Voice, involved former Pennsylvania attorney Robert Powell paying Ciavarella and Conahan $770,000, who in turn funneled juvenile defendants to two private, for-profit detention centers Powell partly owned.
Powell served an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to felony counts of failing to report a felony and being an accessory to a conspiracy.
Real estate developer Robert K. Mericle paid the judges $2.1 million and was later charged with failing to disclose to investigators and a grand jury that he knew the judges were defrauding the government. Mericle served one year in federal prison, per The Citizens Voice.
Ciavarella is serving a 28-year prison sentence on honest services mail fraud charges, per the publication.
Fox News' Matt Finn and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The sex abuse trial of Tampa Bay Rays player Wander Franco was supposed to commence Thursday. But it was delayed until June after 28 of 31 witnesses expected to testify were absent.
Franco has been charged with sexually abusing a minor, sexual and commercial exploitation against a minor and human trafficking. His trial is scheduled to resume June 2, 2025.
Dominican Judge Yacaira Veras postponed the trial at the request of prosecutors due to the absence of several key witnesses in the case. Only three of 31 witnesses arrived for the trial Thursday.
Franco’s lawyers asked the court to reconsider the postponement, arguing Franco must report to spring training in mid-February.
"There is no case against Wander. For as many witnesses as they present, there is no case now," Franco’s lead lawyer, Teodosio Jáquez, told The Associated Press.
The judge replied that Franco is obligated to continue with the trial schedule and his conditional release from detainment.
The 23-year-old shortstop said his career is not over yet, that he wants justice to be done and that "everything is in God’s hands."
Franco appeared upset when reporters asked if his MLB career was over.
"I did not had a career," he said, implying that he still has one. "This is not over."
Franco was arrested on a separate charge in the country for his involvement in an alleged armed altercation in November.
The Rays took down images of Franco around Tropicana Field after the allegations became public last year. There has also been no sign of Franco merchandise being sold at the Rays' team store within their ballpark.
He agreed to an 11-year, $182 million contract in November 2021. He was an All-Star for the first time in 2023, hitting .281 with 17 homers and 58 RBI over 112 games.
Tampa Bay placed him on the team's restricted list July 10, cutting off the pay he had been receiving while on administrative leave.
After Dominican police raided two homes associated with Franco just before the new year, he was eventually arrested. He was later released on the condition that he meet with local authorities once a month.
According to ESPN, Dominican prosecutors say Franco called the minor "my girl" in a WhatsApp message, admitting the relationship was a "risk," but he "loved it."
"My girl," Franco allegedly wrote in Spanish. "If my team realizes this, it could cause problems for me. It is a rule for all teams that we cannot talk to minors, and yet I took the risk and I loved it."
Prosecutors say Franco's relationship with the girl, now 15, lasted four months, and he paid her not to speak about it. The girl's mother also faces charges of money laundering based on gifts sent to her by Franco. Franco and the girl met Dec. 9, 2022, after he "took her from her home," had sex twice in a two-day span and began their relationship.
Prosecutors say the minor’s mother went from being a bank employee to leading an ostentatious life and acquiring assets using the funds she received from Franco. During the raids on the house of the minor’s mother, prosecutors say they found $68,500 and $35,000 that they allege was delivered by Franco.
Franco gave the girl the equivalent of $46,000 in July and August, the documents say, and paid the mother about $1,700 per month, along with a new car.
UFC star Colby Covington wasted no time taking shots during a media appearance Wednesday, but he didn't target upcoming opponent Joaquin Buckley.
Covington instead ripped into NBA superstar LeBron James.
It wasn’t a question from a reporter that prompted Covington to launch into a rant about basketball’s all-time leading scorer.
He started off his press conference by questioning James about an old video that resurfaced with James talking to disgraced music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs about his now-infamous "Diddy Parties."
"I’m gonna start this off, you know, since I’m the man of the hour, man of the show," Covington said. "I want to ask Lebron what does he mean by, ‘There’s no party like a Diddy party.’ I truly want to know. And not only that, LeBron, how many Diddy parties have you actually been to? I’m really curious to know. And is that the reason you left social media because all the backlash you were getting for going to so many Diddy parties?"
The comment Covington is talking about was an old Instagram Live of "P. Diddy" and James in which the basketball star said, "Ain’t no party like a Diddy party," which the music mogul loved.
It's a comment that didn’t age well since Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution in a federal indictment unsealed Sept. 17.
Authorities alleged Combs ran a criminal enterprise through his business, which includes Bad Boy Entertainment, and he would frequently have "Freak Offs," described as "elaborate produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded," according to an indictment.
James was recently confronted by an NFL fan who accused him of attending Combs’ parties until security intervened. It’s unknown whether James attended any of Combs’ parties in the past.
"It’s pathetic, man," Covington added. "People think this guy is a role model. He wants to defund the police, the most patriotic people in America, serving and protecting our country.
"LeBron, you’re a f---ing scumbag, and I hope you get locked up in the same cell with Diddy."
James wasn’t the only target of Covington, who also took shots at fellow fighter Jon "Bones" Jones, among other fighters in the sport.
Covington has been vocal about James in the past, and he’s always been one to speak his mind and stir some controversy during media appearances.
The American fighter is 17-4 in his UFC career. He lost his last fight at UFC 296 against Leon Edwards. He’s 2-3 in his last five fights, with his last win coming against Jorge Masvidal in March 2022.
Music mogul Jay-Z founded Roc Nation in 2008, and the entertainment company has handled the production of the Super Bowl halftime show for the past several years.
A rape allegation was recently brought against the rapper and businessman.
While NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said he was aware of the allegations, he quickly dismissed concerns the situation would negatively alter Jay-Z's working relationship with the league.
"We’re aware of the civil allegations and Jay-Z’s really strong response to that," Goodell said Wednesday after the NFL's winter meetings. "We know the litigation is happening now. From our standpoint, our relationship is not changing with them, including our preparations for the next Super Bowl."
A woman sued Sean "Diddy" Combs, alleging she was sexually assaulted at an awards show after-party in 2000, when she was 13.
On Sunday, the lawsuit was amended to include a new allegation that Jay-Z was also at the party and participated in an illegal sexual act.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, denied the allegations and asserted the rape accusation made against him was part of an extortion attempt. He also called the allegations "idiotic" and "heinous in nature" in a statement released by Roc Nation, one of his companies.
"My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee," Jay-Z shared in a statement posted on Roc Nation's X account. "What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle."
The NFL teamed up with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2019 for events and social activism. The league and the high-profile entertainment company extended their partnership earlier this year.
Kendrick Lamar has been tapped for the Super Bowl halftime show at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans Feb. 9. Roc Nation and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show.
Beyoncé, who is married to Jay-Z, will perform at halftime of the Christmas Day game between the Ravens and Texans in Houston. Beyoncé, who has more Grammys than any other artist in history, was born in Houston.
"I think they’re getting incredibly comfortable with not just with the Super Bowl but other events they’ve advised us on and helped us with," Goodell said. "They’ve been a big help in the social justice area to us on many occasions. They’ve been great partners."
Judge Pauline Newman, the oldest federal judge in America at age 97, is continuing to fight against a suspension from the bench by her colleagues who found her mentally not fit enough to serve. Newman is appealing her suspension and has also filed a motion to unseal documents related to an investigation which ultimately led to her being temporarily removed from the bench.
Newman, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, was barred from serving in September 2023 for a year by the Federal Circuit's Judicial Council after the panel said she refused to cooperate with an investigation into "reasonable concerns" surrounding her mental fitness. The suspension was extended for another year by the panel in September.
The Committee on Judicial Conduct conducted more than 20 interviews with court staff pointing to her "significant mental deterioration including memory loss, confusion, lack of comprehension, paranoia, anger, hostility and severe agitation," per court documents.
The suspension order also said Newman was slower than her colleagues in issuing opinions and had "amassed a troubling backlog of cases," which her team has said is not accurate.
The Federal Circuit Court on which Newman has served for nearly 40 years deals frequently with patent, intellectual property and copyright cases. Newman is considered a leading intellectual property jurist.
The investigation into Newman led her to file a federal lawsuit against her fellow judges.
U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper, a President Obama appointee, threw out most of Newman’s lawsuit in February, then dismissed the entire case on the pleadings in July, per Law & Crime.
In his 15-page ruling, Cooper rejected the legal challenges Newman had raised to the Judicial Conduct & Disability Act and did not focus on the factual allegations against Newman.
Newman appealed the ruling Monday and argued via counsel to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit that although advanced in age, she "retains her sharp intellect," and both lay and expert witnesses have described her as an "unusually cognitively intact … woman" whose cognitive and physical abilities make her appear "20 or more years younger than her stated age," per Law & Crime.
She says she is physically and mentally fit enough to continue doing her job, and has obtained independent evaluations from doctors issuing the same opinion, court documents revealed.
In the appellate brief, cited by Law & Crime, Newman’s counsel said she was in sound mental and physical health, and argued that the only reason Newman was late in submitting written opinions is that "she takes extraordinary pains to ensure that her opinions fully reflect her views and remain consistent from case to case and year to year."
Newman is being represented in the lawsuit by the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), a nonprofit civil rights group that says it views the "administrative state" as an especially serious threat to constitutional freedoms.
The group says that the suspension is illegal and that Newman was removed without due process.
"Judge Newman’s indefinite, complete suspension is unprecedented in American judicial history, exceeding sanctions imposed on judges who committed serious misconduct and improprieties," the group said in a statement. "Suspending an Article III judge from all judicial functions of her office is unconstitutional."
The group said that world-renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Aaron G. Filler recently directed a cutting-edge Perfusion Computed Tomography (PCT) scan of Newman’s brain and administered a full neurological examination that turned up "no relevant deficits, confirming that she is fully fit to perform the duties of the office."
On Thursday, Greg Dolin, who has represented Newman throughout the case, said via a statement that the entire disciplinary process against Judge Newman was "always factually baseless and legally meritless."
"But the issues are more important than Judge Newman," said Dolin, a senior litigation counsel for the NCLA. "At stake is the very independence of American judiciary and our system of checks and balances. The D.C. Circuit should put a stop to the Federal Circuit Judicial Council’s unconstitutional and ultra vires actions against Judge Newman."
Newman also filed a motion to unseal documents related to the committee’s investigation and findings that are subject to a Dec. 4 gag order, per Law & Crime.
Newman’s legal team said that Newman’s judicial colleagues have refused to abide by rules of judicial conduct and have "threatened Judge Newman and her counsel with unspecified sanctions" for making documents public.
Her team also accused the defendants of seeking to "direct the process within their own forum" in an "entirely inappropriate effort" to contradict the law.
Former senior U.S. District Judge Wesley Brown, was the oldest person to serve as a federal judge in the history of the United States, actively hearing cases until approximately one month before his death at age 104, according to the U.S. Courts.
Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy and Elizabeth Pritchet contributed to this report.
A woman who says Sean "Diddy" Combs and others gang-raped her in a recording studio when she was a minor was hoping to stay anonymous as the legal process played out.
However, a judge ruled her name must be used in her lawsuit.
It has since been revealed Jane Doe is Anna Kane, the ex-wife of NHL star Evander Kane.
"I had hoped to use a pseudonym in pursuing justice for what happened to me as a teenager," Anna said in a statement to multiple outlets, including TMZ. "Defendants’ demand that I use my name was an attempt to intimidate me, but I am not intimidated. I am prepared to proceed and hold accountable those who have harmed me."
Kane says Diddy and others gave her drugs and alcohol before forcibly having sex when she was still in high school at the age of 17, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
Evander and Anna got divorced in 2021 after Anna accused Evander of domestic violence and sexual assault and alleging Evander had thrown NHL games he had played in after betting on them.
Evander admitted to having a gambling addiction, but the NHL found no evidence he had bet on games.
He has not played this season after hitting the ice for 77 contests last season.
Diddy was denied bail last week and is still being held in a federal prison in Brooklyn on sex trafficking and racketeering charges after his arrest in September.
The 54-year-old golfer shared a post from political commentator Collin Rugg on X that called Penny a "model citizen…that every mayor of every city should want more of," a "hero" and a "breed of young men who are becoming less and less common."
Before the most serious charge was dismissed, Penny was on trial for second-degree manslaughter for killing Jordan Neely after placing him in a chokehold on a subway.
Neely died later on.
Mickelson agreed with Rugg's words.
"Agree. Thank you Daniel for serving your country and for protecting the many passengers whose lives were threatened by this violent and deranged individual," Mickelson wrote.
Despite the jury being deadlocked, the judge sent jurors back to deliberate more Friday morning, but they told the court shortly after 3 p.m. they still could not reach a unanimous decision.
The judge initially ruled the jury could not deliberate on the second charge unless they found Penny not guilty of manslaughter for some reason other than that the chokehold was justified. However, after jurors said they were deadlocked a second time, Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Dafna Yoran asked to have the most serious charge dismissed to allow the jury to debate the lesser charge of criminally negligent homicide, which carries a maximum punishment of four years in prison.
The charge requires prosecutors to prove Penny acted with recklessness when he grabbed Jordan Neely in a chokehold. Neely barged onto the train while high on drugs, threatening to kill passengers during a psychotic episode, according to trial testimony.
Neely was a 30-year-old with schizophrenia who said someone was going to "die today" and that he didn't care about going to prison for life. Penny grabbed him from behind in a chokehold to halt the outburst.
Neely later died. He had an active arrest warrant at the time. He was high on K2, a synthetic marijuana drug that functions as a stimulant, and his lengthy criminal record included an alleged 2021 assault on a 67-year-old woman at another subway station.
The jury will break for the weekend and deliberate on a lesser charge, criminally negligent homicide, on Monday.
A Georgia judge ordered Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williams to hand over records related to her communications with special counsel Jack Smith and the U.S. House January 6 Committee after failing to comply with a request under the Open Records Act (ORA).
The nonprofit group Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against Willis in March after her office claimed it did not have any documents and communications on file between Willis and Smith or Willis and the January 6th Committee.
But it turned out her office did have communications, and on Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered Willis to produce them within five business days. McBurney also determined in his ruling that Willis violated Georgia’s open records act by failing to respond to Judicial Watch’s lawsuit.
McBurney granted judgment by default after the DA did not make any ‘meritorious defense.’ Instead, Willis claimed she was not served properly.
"Plaintiff is thus entitled to judgment by default as if every item and paragraph of the complaint were supported by proper and sufficient evidence," McBurney wrote in his decision, while also ordering her to pay Judicial Watch’s attorney’s fees. "Here, this means Plaintiff has established that Defendant violated the ORA by failing to either turn over responsive records or else notify Plaintiff of her decision to withhold some or all such records."
A hearing on the attorney’s fees and costs is set to take place on Dec. 20, 2024 at 10 a.m.
"Fani Willis is something else. We’ve been doing this work for 30 years, and this is the first time in our experience a government official has been found in default for not showing up in court to answer an open records lawsuit," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. "Judicial Watch looks forward to getting any documents from the Fani Willis operation about collusion with the Biden administration and Nancy Pelosi’s Congress on her unprecedented and compromised ‘get-Trump’ prosecution."
The documents Judicial Watch sought to obtain stemmed from an investigation by the House Judiciary Committee into whether Willis coordinated with the House Jan. 6 Committee in their investigations.
U.S. lawmakers had said Willis asked the House Select Committee on Jan. 6 to share evidence with her office.
Last year, President-elect Trump and 18 others pleaded not guilty to all charges in connection to a racketeering indictment for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
Specifically, Willis charged Trump with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements.
Four of the defendants who were charged alongside Trump took plea deals in exchange for testifying against the other defendants.
Trump's team and other defendants had previously asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to hold oral arguments to determine whether Willis could continue to prosecute the case.
The charges against Trump have not officially been dropped, though the case is on pause as Trump and his co-defendants appeal a Fulton County judge's decision to not disqualify Willis from prosecuting the case.
The Court of Appeals canceled the arguments in November, which were initially scheduled for early December.
Fox News Digital’s Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
Lawyers for President-elect Donald Trump have officially requested to "immediately" dismiss charges against him in New York v. Trump, declaring the "failed lawfare" case "should never have been brought."
"President Donald J. Trump respectfully submits this motion to dismiss the Indictment and vacate the jury’s verdicts...," they wrote in their official motion to dismiss submitted to the court on Monday. "The Presidential immunity doctrine, the Presidential Transition Act, and the Supremacy Clause all require that result, and they require it immediately."
Trump attorneys, in the beginning of their argument for dismissal, invoked President Biden’s decision to pardon his son, Hunter Biden.
"Yesterday, in issuing a 10-year pardon to Hunter Biden that covers any and all crimes whether charged or uncharged, President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,’" they wrote. "President Biden argued that ‘raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice.’"
Trump attorneys said Biden’s "comments amounted to an extraordinary condemnation of President Biden’s own DOJ."
"This is the same DOJ that coordinated and oversaw the politically-motivated, election-interference witch hunts targeting President Trump by disgraced Special Counsel Jack Smith, the other biased prosecutors in Smith’s Special Counsel’s Office ("SCO"), and others. This is the same DOJ that sent Matthew Colangelo to DA Bragg to help unfairly target President Trump in this empty and lawless case," they wrote. "Since DA Bragg took office, he has engaged in ‘precisely the type of political theater’ that President Biden condemned."
Trump attorneys said New York v. Trump is "based on a contrived, defective, and unprecedented legal theory relating to 2017 entries in documents that were maintained hundreds of miles away from the White House where President Trump was running the country."
"There are no ‘aggravating factors’ here, other than those arising from DANY’s misconduct," they wrote. "Thus, this case should never have been brought, particularly during a period when DA Bragg’s failure to protect this City from pervasive violent crime frightens, threatens, and harms New Yorkers on a daily basis."
Trump attorneys also said that the case "would never have been brought were it not for President Trump’s political views, the transformative national movement established under his leadership, and the political threat that he poses to entrenched, corrupt politicians in Washington, D.C. and beyond."
Trump lawyers said that "wrongly continuing proceedings in this failed lawfare case disrupts President Trump’s transition efforts and his preparations to wield the full Article II executive power authorized by the Constitution pursuant to the overwhelming national mandate granted to him by the American people on November 5, 2024."
Trump attorneys, citing the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision which ruled that presidents have immunity from official acts, said the case threatens the functioning of the federal government.
"Local elected officials such as DA Bragg have no valid basis to cause such disruptions, which also violate the Supremacy Clause," they wrote. "Consequently, the federal Constitution is an absolute "legal impediment" to further proceedings…and the case must be immediately dismissed."
Trump attorneys said that Bragg’s "wrongful prosecution threatens ‘enduring consequences upon the balanced power structure of our Republic’ and the type of ‘factional strife’ that President Biden decried in yesterday’s blanket pardon announcement."
They said the Special Counsel’s Office "has been forced to concede."
Last month, a federal judge, upon Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request, dismissed charges against Trump in his 2020 election interference case. Smith also rescinded his appeal in his classified records case against Trump — a case that was tossed in July by a federal judge in Florida who ruled Smith was appointed unlawfully as special counsel.
Bragg, last month, requested to Judge Juan Merchan that the case be stayed until the end of Trump’s second term, but Trump attorneys noted that the Office of Legal Counsel in the Justice Department concluded that "the categorical prohibition on the federal indictment of a sitting president…even if the case were held in abeyance…applies to this situation."
They wrote that Bragg's "ridiculous suggestion that they could simply resume proceedings after President Trump leaves Office, more than a decade after they commenced their investigation in 2018, is not an option."
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree stemming from the yearslong investigation related to alleged hush money payments run by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance initiated the investigation, and Bragg prosecuted Trump.
After an unprecedented six-week trial in New York City, a jury found the president guilty on all counts.
San Jose State volleyball player Blaire Fleming probably played the final college volleyball game of the athlete's career after a Mountain West Tournament final loss to Colorado State Saturday night.
Fleming led the Spartans on a run to the championship match in a senior season overshadowed by lawsuits from a teammate and a national controversy over Fleming being transgender. Fleming led the team in spikes and prompted four Mountain West rivals to forfeit a total of seven conference games, including a tournament semifinal.
But Colorado State never shied away from playing Fleming or the Spartans.
The Rams played San Jose two times in the regular season, splitting the season series, and then taking the championship match three sets to one. Colorado State's Malaya Jones, the Mountain West player of the year, led the game with 26 kills after kneeling during the national anthem before the match.
Jones was also alleged to have conspired with Fleming in a plan to spike a ball in the face of San Jose State teammate Brooke Slusser in a game Oct. 3, according to a lawsuit filed by Slusser and a Title IX complaint.
Slusser was never spiked in the face, and the Mountain West concluded an investigation into the Title IX complaint, saying it did not find sufficient evidence of wrongdoing. Slusser's attorney has questioned the validity of the investigation.
Fleming, meanwhile, led San Jose State in the game with 17 kills but committed nine errors and hit poorly in the first two sets when the Spartans fell in a two-sets-to-none hole.
San Jose State's loss will also mean it won't advance to the NCAA tournament, which would have introduced further controversy with potential matchups against teams outside the conference. Boise State forfeited its Mountain West Tournament semifinal match against San Jose State, which could have set a precedent for teams in other states with laws that prevent transgender inclusion in women's sports.
Boise State, Utah State, Wyoming, Nevada and non-conference opponent Southern Utah all forfeited regular-season matches against San Jose State this season amid the controversy. Meanwhile, Louisiana Tech, which played its season opener against San Jose State Aug. 30, has told Fox News Digital it did not know Fleming was a biological male and suggested the match wouldn't have happened if the team had known.
The situation became so widely publicized, Fleming's presence on the team drew criticism from President-elect Trump on the campaign trail during the most recent election cycle.
Trump weighed in on the situation involving Fleming during a town hall event on Fox News Channel’s "The Faulkner Focus" Oct. 17. Trump referenced Fleming specifically, describing a video in which one of the athlete's spikes hit another player.
"I saw the slam. It was a slam. I never saw a ball hit so hard, hit the girl in the head," Trump said. "But other people, even in volleyball, they’ve been permanently, I mean, they’ve been really hurt badly. Women playing men. But you don’t have to do the volleyball. We stop it. We stop it. We absolutely stop it. You can’t have it."
Trump revealed his intention to ban transgender inclusion in women's sports if elected. It became a talking point he made sure to reference at every campaign rally from then until Election Day. He and Republican allies hammered Democrats' position of protecting transgender inclusion, which grew increasingly unpopular.
A federal judge could have ended Fleming's career earlier but decided to allow the player to compete in the conference tournament.
Federal Judge Kato Crews of Colorado, appointed by President Biden in January, denied a motion for injunctive relief in a lawsuit by college volleyball players against the conference.
The players were looking to have their forfeits for refusing to play against Fleming and the Spartans rescinded, which would, in turn, shift the standings heading into the tournament. They also wanted Fleming banned from the tournament.
Crews, however, wrote that the plaintiffs’ request for an emergency delay "was not reasonable" and "would risk confusion and upend months of planning and would prejudice, at a minimum, (San Jose State) and other teams participating in the tournament."
Despite the lawsuits, Slusser and the rest of the San Jose State roster took the court with Fleming for matches all season.
Fleming was second in the conference in kills per set with a .386, still well behind Jones, who led the way at .457.
Fleming had a signature moment in the second-to-last match of the season against first-place Colorado State at home on Senior Day. Fleming led the game in kills with 24 and total attacks and clinched victory in the fifth set with a match-point service ace.
Right after the play, Fleming was swarmed by teammates in celebration. Even Slusser got involved. This group celebration took place just days after Slusser and other Mountain West players filed a second lawsuit over Fleming's presence on the team against San Jose State and the conference.
Now, Fleming, Slusser and their other senior teammates will look ahead to their post-volleyball lives.
A Missouri state court on Monday upheld a state law banning child mutilation, following a brief two-week trial challenging the legislation.
"The Court has left Missouri’s law banning child mutilation in place, a resounding victory for our children. We are the first state in the nation to successfully defend such a law at the trial court level," state Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a statement. "I’m extremely proud of the thousands of hours my office put in to shine a light on the lack of evidence supporting these irreversible procedures. We will never stop fighting to ensure Missouri is the safest state in the nation for children."
The ruling in Cole County coincides with the U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming review of U.S. v. Skrmetti, a case in Tennessee set to address the constitutionality of the state’s ban on transgender surgical procedures and medications for minors. The decision in this case could jeopardize the future of so-called "gender-affirming" care for minors nationwide.
The Missouri court rejected the argument by the plaintiffs – Emily Noe on behalf of her minor child – stating that "Any person – including a minor – would be able to do anything from meth, to ecstasy, to abortion as long as a single medical professional was willing to recommend it."
The court also noted that such arguments have been routinely dismissed by courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
The law, enacted in 2023, has been the subject of legal challenges from trans minors, their families and health care providers. It prevents medical providers from performing trans surgeries and administering hormone treatments such as puberty blockers to people under 18.
After Monday's ruling, Missouri became the first state to uphold a ban on such procedures at the trial court level.
President-elect Trump also vowed on the campaign trail last year to outlaw "gender-affirming" procedures on minors and allow medical providers to be prosecuted. There are currently 26 states that have enacted laws or policies that ban or restrict trans surgeries and treatments for minors, while 24 states and the District of Columbia allow it and/or have passed "shield" laws to protect access to it.
A former track coach is in a fight to get his job back, saying the school district he was fired from violated his free speech, and a federal judge in the case may agree.
John Parks is taking a legal stand after allegedly being fired from Lake Oswego High School for sending a letter to Oregon state officials concerning laws related to transgender athletes.
The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) says students can compete based on their "consistently asserted gender identity."
Additionally, the OSAA rules state "once a transgender student has notified the student's school of their gender identity, the student shall be consistently treated as that gender for purposes of eligibility for athletics and activities, provided that if the student has tried out or participated in an activity, the student may not participate during that same season on a team of the other gender."
In May, Parks wrote a letter to the OSAA encouraging the state to adopt a transgender athlete policy similar to World Aquatics by creating an open division where "all sex and gender identities" are welcome to compete. He also sent letters to state Sen. Rob Wagner, including one after Oregon's state championships. In the letters, Parks argued that state's laws, as currently written, do a disservice to girls sports.
In a hearing on Friday, Parks' lawyer said the district's decision to fire Parks after the email was a "violation of his free speech," and he should "be restored to his job," according to Oregon Live.
U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon said during a hearing he believed the email "[fell] within protected speech made by a private citizen."
Parks is seeking a court order to return to his job as the school's track coach and a special education assistant while the legal case remains ongoing. The district, however, says he was not fired. It says his temporary contracts expired, and the school was not required to extend them.
Buck Dougherty, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center, said in a statement in July, "Coach Parks was retaliated against, falsely accused of discriminatory behavior, denied an appeal and fired — just for exercising his constitutional right to free speech as a private citizen."
A Lake Oswego School District spokesperson previously confirmed that Parks was no longer employed by the district. The school district stopped short of going into the circumstances surrounding Parks' departure.
Transgender runner Aayden Gallagher of McDaniel High School won the Oregon 6A 200-meter state title by two-tenths of a second and defeated one of Parks' runners in another race. Lake Oswego, with Parks coaching, won the team state championship.
Fox News' Lindsay Kornick, Ryan Gaydos, and Chantz Martin contributed to this report.
New Hampshire Judge Steven McAuliffe presided over a case involving parents in the state who wore pro-girl armbands at a high school girls soccer game that included a transgender athlete. During the case, McAuliffe pushed back on the parents for repeatedly referring to the athlete as a boy.
"You seem to go out of your way to suggest there’s no such thing as a trans girl," McAuliffe said during the hearing.
McAuliffe's federal judicial service dates back to 1992, when he was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush. On Thursday, McAuliffe heard arguments in a case in which plaintiffs Kyle Fellers and Anthony Foote sued the Bow School District after being banned from school grounds for wearing the wristbands at their daughters' soccer game in September.
The wristbands said "XX" in reference to the natural female chromosomes. The "XX" logo has become an unspoken symbol of the ongoing legal and political battle against transgender inclusion in girls and women's sports across the country. Many consider it a women's rights phenomenon.
The no-trespass orders have since expired, but McAuliffe is deciding whether the plaintiffs should be allowed to wear the wristbands and carry signs at upcoming school events, including basketball games, swim meets and a music concert, while the case proceeds.
They wore the wristbands because another federal judge in New Hampshire, Landya McCafferty, who was appointed to her seat by President Obama in 2013, ruled two transgender athletes would be allowed to play on high school girls soccer teams, overruling a state law in place to prevent that from happening.
Fifteen-year-old Parker Tirrell, a transgender athlete, was allowed to compete for Plymouth Regional High School. In a lawsuit filed by Fellers and Foote, they alleged they were told by school officials to remove the armbands or they would have to leave the game.
Both of the fathers say the intention of the armband was not to protest Tirrell, but to support their own daughters in a game that featured a biological male.
McAuliffe questioned the notion that the wristbands were in support of their own daughters.
"Sometimes the message you think you’re sending might not be the message that is being sent," he said.
McAuliffe asked Foote whether it occurred to him that a transgender person might interpret the pink XX wristbands as an attempt to invalidate their existence.
"If he’s a trans female, pink might be a color he likes," Foote responded.
Transgender inclusion in girls' and women's sports emerged as a mainstream political issue in the last few years. Instances of athletes discovered to be male and then legally protected to continue playing have emerged in rapid succession since the start of the Biden administration.
This includes instances like those involving Tirrell in New Hampshire and others in Virginia and California. At the college level, a situation at San Jose State University involving a transgender volleyball player has prompted multiple lawsuits and a media firestorm. It became a talking point of Donald Trump's presidential campaign before his recent election win.
Trump and even his wife, Melania, who has admitted to disagreeing with Republicans on issues of LGBT rights, each announced they are opposed to letting biological males compete in girls and women's sports. Trump advocated for a blanket ban during a Fox News town hall event on the campaign trail.
Multiple states filed lawsuits and enacted their own laws to address the issue after the Biden-Harris administration issued a sweeping rule that clarified that Title IX’s ban on "sex" discrimination in schools covers discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and "pregnancy or related conditions," in April.
The administration insisted the regulation does not address athletic eligibility. However, multiple experts presented evidence to Fox News Digital in June that it would ultimately put more biological men in women's sports.
The Supreme Court then voted 5-4 in August to reject an emergency request by the Biden administration to enforce portions of that new rule after more than two dozen Republican attorneys general sued to block the Title IX changes in their own states.
During the most recent election cycle, multiple Democrats, including Texas Rep. Collin Allred backtracked on past support for transgender inclusion in women's sports.
That trend continued after the election when Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton spoke out against his party's stance and actions in enabling transgender inclusion in multiple interviews, inciting fierce backlash and even a massive pro-transgender rally outside his office.
Now, multiple judges like McAuliffe across the country are presiding over cases about the eligibility of transgender athletes in sports.
Judge Juan Merchan on Friday granted President-elect Trump's request to file a motion to dismiss the charges in New York v. Trump and removed the sentencing date for the president-elect from the schedule.
Merchan said Trump attorneys have until Dec. 2 to file their motion for dismissal. Merchan said Bragg has until Dec. 9 to respond.
Merchan also confirmed the stay in sentencing for Trump, which was requested by both Trump's and Bragg's attorneys. The sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 26, but on Friday, Merchan said that date "is adjourned."
Trump spokesman and incoming White House communications director Steven Cheung reacted to Merchan's ruling on Friday, telling Fox News Digital it is a "decisive win" for the president.
"In a decisive win for President Trump, the hoax Manhattan Case is now fully stayed and sentencing is adjourned," Cheung told Fox News Digital. "President Trump won a landslide victory as the American People have issued a mandate to return him to office and dispose of all remnants of the Witch Hunt cases."
Cheung added, "All of the sham lawfare attacks against President Trump are now destroyed and we are focused on Making America Great Again."
In a letter to Merchan on Wednesday, Trump defense attorney and now-nominee for Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche demanded the case against Trump be tossed.
"On November 5, 2024, the Nation’s People issued a mandate that supersedes the political motivations of DANY’s ‘People,’" Blanche wrote. "This case must be immediately dismissed."
Blanche said that "immediate dismissal of this case is mandated by the federal Constitution, the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, and the interests of justice, in order to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power following President Trump’s overwhelming victory in the 2024 Presidential Election."
Blanche’s pre-motion letter on Wednesday was sent in order to request permission to file a motion to dismiss by Dec. 20 and to request a stay on all deadlines, which Bragg and New York prosecutors had agreed to.
The letter came after Bragg sent a letter to Merchan on Tuesday requesting a stay on the case until 2029. Bragg said he would oppose Trump’s motion to dismiss but said he would be open to receiving the defense argument.
Blanche argued that Bragg "appears to not yet be ready to dismiss this politically-motivated and fatally flawed case, which is what is mandated by the law and will happen as justice takes its course." Blanche pointed to Bragg’s own election campaign for another term as Manhattan district attorney.
Blanche argued that "continuing with this case would be ‘uniquely destabilizing’ and threatens to ‘hamstring the operation of the whole governmental apparatus, both in foreign and domestic affairs.’"
"The Court must address these new issues and dismiss the case, prior to issuing a decision on the previously filed Presidential immunity motion," Blanche explained. "Any other action would obviously violate the presidential immunity doctrine and the Supremacy Clause."
Blanche added that "even if the Court were to wrongly deny the new interests-of-justice motion, which it should not do, the appropriate forum for any additional proceedings must first be resolved in President Trump’s removal appeal."
Blanche said that if the court denies any aspect of relief, including by moving forward with any proceedings, Trump would request that the court stay the implementation of the ruling so that President-elect Trump has "adequate time to pursue appellate review."
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree stemming from the yearslong investigation related to alleged hush money payments run by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance initiated the investigation, and Bragg prosecuted Trump.
After an unprecedented six-week trial in New York City, a jury found the president guilty on all counts.
Merchan last week granted a stay on all deadlines associated with conviction proceedings against Trump in the final weeks before he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States — including the Nov. 26 sentencing date.
Trump officials on Tuesday argued that Bragg's request was a representation of "a total failure of the prosecution," and interpreted the case as being "effectively over."
Meanwhile, Trump attorneys had requested that Merchan overturn the guilty verdict altogether, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office.
The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision on presidential immunity came from a question that stemmed from charges brought against Trump in a separate, federal case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith related to the events on Jan. 6, 2021, and any alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in that case.
President-elect Donald Trump's lawyers called for an "immediate dismissal" of New York v. Trump, declaring that the American people’s choice to elect the former president to a second term "supersedes" Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s "political motivations."
In a letter to Judge Juan Merchan on Wednesday, Trump defense attorney and now-nominee for Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche demanded the case against the president-elect be tossed.
"On November 5, 2024, the Nation’s People issued a mandate that supersedes the political motivations of DANY’s ‘People,’" Blanche wrote. "This case must be immediately dismissed."
Blanche said that "immediate dismissal of this case is mandated by the federal Constitution, the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, and the interests of justice, in order to facilitate the orderly transition of Executive power following President Trump’s overwhelming victory in the 2024 Presidential Election."
Blanche’s pre-motion letter on Wednesday was sent in order to request permission to file a motion to dismiss by Dec. 20, 2024 and to request a stay on all deadlines, which Bragg and New York prosecutors have agreed to.
Blanche argued that Bragg "appears to not yet be ready to dismiss this politically-motivated and fatally flawed case, which is what is mandated by the law and will happen as justice takes its course." Blanche pointed to Bragg’s own election campaign for another term as Manhattan district attorney.
Blanche argued that "continuing with this case would be ‘uniquely destabilizing’ and threatens to ‘hamstring the operation of the whole governmental apparatus, both in foreign and domestic affairs.’"
"The Court must address these new issues and dismiss the case, prior to issuing a decision on the previously filed Presidential immunity motion," Blanche explained. "Any other action would obviously violate the presidential immunity doctrine and the Supremacy Clause."
Blanche added that "even if the Court were to wrongly deny the new interests-of-justice motion, which it should not do, the appropriate forum for any additional proceedings must first be resolved in President Trump’s removal appeal."
Blanche said that if the court denies any aspect of relief, including by moving forward with any proceedings, Trump would request that the court stay the implementation of the ruling so that President Trump has "adequate time to pursue appellate review."
The letter comes after Bragg on Tuesday sent a letter to Merchan requesting a stay on the case until 2029. Bragg said he would oppose Trump’s motion to dismiss but said he would be open to receiving the defense argument.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree stemming from the yearslong investigation related to alleged hush money payments run by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance initiated the investigation, and Bragg prosecuted Trump.
After an unprecedented six-week trial in New York City, a jury found the president guilty on all counts.
Judge Merchan last week granted a stay on all deadlines associated with conviction proceedings against Trump in the final weeks before he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States – including the Nov. 26 sentencing date.
Trump officials on Tuesday argued that Bragg's request was a representation of "a total failure of the prosecution," and interpreted the case as being "effectively over."
Meanwhile, Trump attorneys have already requested that Merchan overturn the guilty verdict altogether, citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office.
Merchan has not yet ruled on the immunity argument, which prosecutors anticipate being included in the coming dismissal motion from the defense.
Trump's legal team argued that certain evidence presented by Bragg and New York prosecutors during the trial should not have been admitted, as they were "official acts."
In that argument, Blanche said that testimony from former White House communications director Hope Hicks; former special assistant to the president Madeleine Westerhout; testimony regarding the Special Counsel’s Office and congressional investigations and the pardon power; testimony regarding President Trump’s response to FEC Inquiries; his presidential Twitter posts and other related testimony was impermissibly admitted during trial.
Trump attorneys also pointed to Trump’s disclosures to the Office of Government Ethics as president.
Blanche said "official-acts evidence" that Bragg presented to the grand jury "contravened the holding in Trump because Presidents ‘cannot be indicted based on conduct for which they are immune from prosecution,'" the motion read. "The Presidential immunity doctrine recognized in Trump pertains to all ‘criminal proceedings,’ including grand jury proceedings when a prosecutor ‘seeks to charge’ a former President using evidence of official acts."
Blanche argued that Bragg "violated the Presidential immunity doctrine by using similar official-acts evidence in the grand jury proceedings that gave rise to the politically motivated charges in this case."
"Because an Indictment so tainted cannot stand, the charges must be dismissed," Blanche argued.
The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision on presidential immunity came from a question that stemmed from charges brought against Trump in a separate, federal case brought by special counsel Jack Smith related to the events on Jan. 6, 2021 and any alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in that case.
Smith is winding down his cases against Trump following his election as the 47th president.
Smith’s classified records case against Trump was dismissed earlier this year by a federal judge in Florida who ruled that the special counsel was unlawfully appointed.
"This unprecedented scale created many technical challenges, which the launch team tackled brilliantly by prioritizing stability of the stream for the majority of viewers," said Netflix executive Elizabeth Stone. "I'm sure many of you have seen the chatter in the press and on social media about the quality issues. We don't want to dismiss the poor experience of some members and know we have room for improvement but still consider this event a huge success."
Netflix also revealed Tuesday that Friday's live boxing event between Tyson and Paul drew 108 million viewers globally, making it the "most-streamed sporting event ever."
Netflix's live broadcast from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, peaked at 65 million concurrent households in the U.S. An estimated 56% of all TV viewership in the country was tuned into the Tyson-Paul fight between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. ET, the streaming service added.
The co-main event, a rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, drew 74 million live viewers globally to become the most-watched professional women’s sports event in U.S. history.
Issues started to occur during the Mario Barrios-Abel Ramos bout and only increased ahead of the Serrano-Taylor fight.
Detector reported that at least 85,000 viewers reported problems. One particular moment ignited fierce backlash and mockery on social media for Netflix when boxing legend Evander Holyfield and Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones had their mics cut out while they were talking about the fights. Jones was touting the NFL’s partnership with Netflix.
Howard Stern warned Netflix on his radio show that it had better get it right.
"You know, I don’t how this stuff works, but you gotta make sure it works. … But if you f--- up people’s football, there’s gonna be hell to pay," Stern said.
Netflix will stream an NFL debut doubleheader on Christmas with games between the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans.
New York prosecutors are requesting a stay until at least 2029 in New York v. Trump, as the president's defense attorneys prepare to move to dismiss the case entirely.
Prosecutors wrote a letter to Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday, who agreed last week to grant a stay on all deadlines associated with the conviction proceedings against Trump in the final months before he takes office.
Merchan granted the request, which issues a stay on all deadlines, including the Nov. 26 sentencing date, to consider the effect of his election as president.
Prosecutors had asked for the pause in proceedings, which they said would allow them to better evaluate the impact of Trump’s new status as president-elect.
"As a result of the election held on November 5, 2024, Defendant’s inauguration as President will occur on January 20, 2025," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wrote to Merchan on Tuesday.
"Given the need to balance competing constitutional interests, consideration must be given to various non-dismissal options that may address any concerns raised by the pendency of a post-trial criminal proceeding during the presidency, such as deferral of all remaining criminal proceedings until after the end of Defendant’s upcoming presidential term," Bragg wrote.
Trump, who will be sworn into office as the 47th President of the United States on Jan. 20, 2025, will be the commander-in-chief until 2029.
Bragg said his team would not oppose Trump’s request to stay further proceedings pending his attorneys’ motion to dismiss.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital that "this is a total and definitive victory for President Trump and the American People who elected him in a landslide."
"The Manhattan DA has conceded that this Witch Hunt cannot continue," Cheung, who was tapped to serve as White House communications director, said. "The lawless case is now stayed, and President Trump’s legal team is moving to get it dismissed once and for all."
Bragg noted that New York prosecutors plan to oppose Trump defense attorneys' motion to dismiss entirely,
Trump's attorneys, who had filed a motion to vacate the charges completely, also backed the stay.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree but was found guilty in May after a six-week-long unprecedented criminal trial in New York.
Trump’s attorneys have requested that Merchan overturn the guilty verdict, citing the United States Supreme Court’s decision that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts in office. Trump's legal team argued that certain evidence presented by Bragg and New York prosecutors during the trial should not have been admitted, as they were "official acts."
Specifically, Trump attorney Todd Blanche argued that testimony from former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks; former Special Assistant to the President Madeleine Westerhout; testimony regarding The Special Counsel’s Office and Congressional Investigations and the pardon power; testimony regarding President Trump’s response to FEC Inquiries; his presidential Twitter posts and other related testimony was impermissably admitted during trial.
Trump attorneys also pointed to Trump’s disclosures to the Office of Government Ethics as president.
Blanche said that "official-acts evidence" that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg presented to the grand jury "contravened the holding in Trump because Presidents ‘cannot be indicted based on conduct for which they are immune from prosecution,'" the motion read. "The Presidential immunity doctrine recognized in Trump pertains to all ‘criminal proceedings,’ including grand jury proceedings when a prosecutor ‘seeks to charge’ a former President using evidence of official acts."
Blanche argued that Bragg "violated the Presidential immunity doctrine by using similar official-acts evidence in the grand jury proceedings that gave rise to the politically motivated charges in this case."
"Because an Indictment so tainted cannot stand, the charges must be dismissed," Blanche argued.
Blanche also explained that the Supreme Court’s decision does not allow for an "overwhelming evidence" or "harmless error" exception to "the profound institutional interests at stake."
The Supreme Court's 6-3 decision on presidential immunity came from a question that stemmed from charges brought against Trump in a separate, federal case brought by special counsel Jack Smith related to the events on Jan. 6, 2021 and any alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in that case.
Smith is winding down his cases against Trump following his election as the 47th President of the United States.
Smith’s classified records case against Trump was dismissed by a federal judge in Florida earlier this year, who ruled that the special counsel was unlawfully appointed.
