Supreme Court to review Trump petition on E Jean Carroll judgment

Supreme Court justices are set to hold a private conference on Feb. 20 to consider a slate of petitions for review, including one from President Donald Trump. The president is requesting a review of the 2023 verdict against him in a civil lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll.

The justices could act on Trump’s petition as soon as Feb. 23, but they generally consider petitions at two or more conferences before granting them, meaning they might not announce a decision until March 2 or later, according to SCOTUS Blog.

Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, previously downplayed the likelihood the Supreme Court will intervene.

‘We do not believe that President Trump will be able to present any legal issues in the Carroll cases that merit review by the United States Supreme Court,’ Kaplan said, according to The Associated Press.

In the petition, Trump’s attorneys described Carroll’s allegations as ‘facially implausible’ and ‘politically motivated.’ They also argued the accusations were ‘propped up’ by a ‘series of indefensible evidentiary rulings’ that allowed Carroll’s attorneys to present certain evidence that the Trump team found objectionable. 

‘President Trump has clearly and consistently denied that this supposed incident ever occurred. No physical or DNA evidence corroborates Carroll’s story. There were no eyewitnesses, no video evidence, and no police report or investigation… Carroll waited more than 20 years to falsely accuse Donald Trump, who she politically opposes, until after he became the 45th President, when she could maximize political injury to him and profit for herself,’ Trump’s attorneys wrote in the petition.

Trump’s attorneys also suggested that Carroll’s allegations mirror the plot of a ‘Law & Order’ episode, which they say is one of her favorite TV shows.

They also argued that lower courts should not have admitted testimony by Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, who alleged that the then-real estate mogul assaulted them. Leeds claimed that her assault happened on an airplane in 1979, while Stoynoff said her attack occurred at Mar-a-Lago in 2005. The attorneys say both women’s allegations present credibility issues, citing inconsistencies. They also objected to the inclusion of the infamous 2005 ‘Access Hollywood’ tape in which Trump made lewd remarks, which became a flash point of the 2016 election.

Carroll, a journalist and advice columnist, sued Trump twice after she released a book in 2019 in which she claimed that he raped her in 1996 in the dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store across the street from Trump Tower. Trump has repeatedly denied Carroll’s claims and said the case was ‘a complete con job.’ He also said that Carroll was ‘not my type.’

‘I don’t know this woman, have no idea who she is, other than it seems she got a picture of me many years ago, with her husband, shaking my hand on a reception line at a celebrity charity event,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social in October 2022.

Trump’s repeated criticisms of Carroll and denial of her claims led to the journalist’s defamation allegations.

In May 2023, a jury found Trump was not liable for rape but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Carroll was awarded a total of $5 million in damages.