A federal appeals court docket in New York on Friday denied a request by the Justice Division and attorneys for President Donald Trump to delay oral arguments scheduled for subsequent week in Trump’s enchantment of his $83 million defamation case.
Trump and the DOJ had requested the 2nd U.S. Circuit Courtroom of Appeals for the delay so they may enchantment an earlier ruling the court docket had made within the case.
Trump is interesting a 2024 verdict ordering him to pay former journal columnist E. Jean Carroll $83 million for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her accusation that he sexually assaulted her within the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman division retailer within the mid-Nineties. Trump has denied all allegations.
On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Courtroom of Appeals rejected Trump’s attempt to have the federal government substitute for him as a celebration within the case — main his attorneys to argue that they need to be allowed to enchantment earlier than oral arguments happen subsequent week.
“The USA and President Trump are entitled to instant evaluation of the panel’s inaccurate Westfall Act resolution by this Courtroom en banc and, if needed, by the Supreme Courtroom,” a joint submitting from Trump and the Justice Division stated Friday.
President Donald Trump walks out to speak to reporters after signing a commerce settlement with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer through the G7 Leaders’ Summit, June 16, 2025 in Kananaskis, Alberta.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Photos
DOJ legal professionals say that since a few of Trump’s alleged conduct within the case fell throughout the scope of his function as president, the Justice Division ought to be capable to defend him in court docket.
“The Legal professional Common licensed that President Trump was performing throughout the scope of his federal workplace or employment on the time of his 2017 statements, produced from the White Home, out of which Plaintiff-Appellee’s claims arose. In consequence, the USA ought to have been substituted as a defendant rather than President Trump,” they argued in Friday’s submitting, earlier than the court docket rejected their request.
The oral arguments will happen as scheduled on June 24.
The 2nd Circuit final week upheld a separate, $5 million harm award to Carroll that Trump should pay.