Trump’s New York case will begin in March
A New York judge ruled Thursday that Donald Trump will stand trial in March on charges related to the Stormy Daniels coverup. Assuming the case goes forward as scheduled, Trump will be the first former president ever to be criminally tried. It will also be the first criminal case to slot in place among the complicated judicial calendar Trump is facing in this election year, and it means Trump will almost certainly face a jury before Election Day. In three other jurisdictions—Georgia state court and federal courts in Florida, and Washington, D.C.—Trump has been indicted on charges related to the 2020 elections and his retention of classified documents, but the timetable for those cases remains unclear.
If he gets jail time for a state case he can’t pardon himself. It’d be interesting how the state would handle it. Would they let him defer his prison sentence until after his term?
There’s no precedent whatsoever, so no one knows what would happen. Meanwhile Trump would absolutely use every tool at his disposal as president to disrupt the process. It’s hard to see that not heading into a constitutional crisis.