The Justice Department announced Wednesday that it is seeking to resolve two federal criminal cases against President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his second term.

With two other cases open and the legal jeopardy expected to subside in the coming months, here is a timeline of Trump’s legal troubles following his initial departure from the Oval Office.

Federal cases

Classified documents case

Trump was indicted on 37 federal charges in June 2023 on charges arising from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Trump’s team initially requested a partial pause in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States, in which the court ruled that a former president has significant immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office , but not for unofficial acts.

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Judge Aileen Cannon ultimately dismissed the case against Trump in July, ruling that Smith had been improperly appointed special counsel under the Constitution’s Appointments Clause.

The Appointments Clause states: “Ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, Justices of the Supreme Court, and all other officers of the United States, shall be appointed by the President, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate, although Congress may prescribe the appointment of inferior officers in the president alone, in the courts, or in the heads of departments.”

Smith was never confirmed by the Senate.

The Justice Department announced Wednesday that it plans to conclude two federal criminal cases against President-elect Trump ahead of his second term. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Smith appealed the decision in August, saying, “The Attorney General validly appointed the Special Counsel, who is also appropriately funded.”

A case of election interference

Smith filed charges again in August 2023 in connection with his investigation against Trump. He was indicted on four federal charges arising from the investigation, including conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction or attempted obstruction of an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges and argued that he should be immune from prosecution for official acts he committed as president of the United States.

In July of this year, the Supreme Court, in its ruling on presidential immunity, sent the case back to a lower court because the justices did not apply the ruling to the question of whether or not former President Trump is immune from prosecution regarding actions related with efforts to overturn the presidential election. results of the 2020 elections.

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Trump was indicted for the second time in August. The new indictment maintained the previous criminal charges but narrowed the allegations after the Supreme Court ruling, which clarified Trump’s role as the current candidate and narrowed the allegations regarding his conversations with then-Vice President Mike Pence in his ceremonial role became clear as president of the Senate.

The 165-page dossier filed by Smith, in which he laid out the case and alleged evidence he would use in a possible trial against the president-elect, was released in early October. Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered more documents made available to the public later that month, just weeks before the presidential election.

Trump’s team decided to dismiss Smith from the case in late October, arguing that he had been unlawfully appointed.

State affairs

Manhattan hush money case

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump in 2023 with first-degree falsification of corporate records related to alleged hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign. Bragg alleged that Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York corporate records to conduct criminal conduct that hid harmful information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.”

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, right, indicted Trump in 2023 on 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records related to alleged hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign. (Emily Elconin/Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The president-elect was later found guilty on all counts, making him the first former president of the United States to be convicted of a crime. He appealed the decision.

His sentencing date was initially set for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention, where he would be formally nominated as the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential candidate. Judge Juan Merchan postponed sentencing until September 18 and again until November 26, after the presidential elections.

Trump’s team requested in October this year to take the case to federal court, citing the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity and arguing that he cannot be prosecuted for official actions he takes as president has done. Merchan is also expected to rule on Trump’s motion to dismiss the case on November 12.

Election case in Georgia

Trump was indicted in Georgia in August 2023 after a years-long criminal investigation led by prosecutors into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In early 2023, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee dismissed six of the charges against Trump, saying District Attorney Fani Willis, pictured, did not provide enough details. (Alex Slitz-Pool/Getty Images)

In early 2023, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee dismissed six of the charges against Trump, saying District Attorney Fani Willis had not provided enough details. Things were then thrown into disarray when it was revealed that Willis was allegedly having an “inappropriate affair” with Nathan Wade, a prosecutor she hired to help bring the case against Trump. Wade was later removed.

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The Georgia Court of Appeals stayed the proceedings in June until it heard the case to disqualify Willis. The court also said it would hear Trump’s argument to have Willis disqualified on December 5, a month after the election.

When reached Thursday by Fox News Digital for comment on the status of the newly elected president’s lawsuits, the Trump campaign said, “The American people re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate to Make America Great Again.”

“It is now abundantly clear that Americans want an immediate end to the weaponization of our justice system so that, as President Trump said in his historic speech yesterday, we can unite our country and work together for the betterment of our nation,” the campaign spokesman said. Steven Cheung said.

Brooke Singman, David Spunt and Jake Gibson of Fox News contributed to this report.