The latest on Donald Trump's legal issues

The court will keep jurors' personal information confidential and take other measures to protect them during the trial on E. Jean Carroll's civil lawsuit against former President Donald Trump, the judge handling the lawsuit said Thursday.

Judge Lewis Kaplan cited Trump's history of attacking the legal system in explaining his reasoning for the extra security measures. In particular, Kaplan highlighted Trump's most recent comments surrounding the Manhattan district attorney's investigation into alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

"And it bears mention that Mr. Trump repeatedly has attacked courts, judges, various law enforcement officials and other public offices, and even individual jurors in other matters," the judge added.

Kaplan, however, did not order the jury to be sequestered for the trial.

The Associated Press and New York Daily News had argued against keeping the jurors anonymous.

Some background: Carroll, a former magazine writer, alleged that Trump raped her in a New York department store dressing room in the 1990s and defamed her years later when he denied the rape, said "she's not my type" and alleged she made the claim to boost sales of her book.

The trial on Carroll's lawsuit accusing Trump of battery and defaming her is scheduled for April 25.

Lawyers for former Vice President Mike Pence were expected to argue in federal court Thursday to block a grand jury subpoena for his testimony related to January 6, 2021, on the grounds that he is protected by the Constitution's Speech or Debate Clause, a person briefed on the matter told CNN.

Over 90 minutes at a sealed hearing in a US District Court in Washington, DC, former President Donald Trump’s legal team was also expected to argue Pence’s conversations with Trump around January 6 should be shielded by executive privilege.

The dispute stems from a subpoena issued in connection with the Justice Department’s special counsel investigation into actions by Trump and his allies after the 2020 election and leading up to the US Capitol attack.

Lawyers for Trump and Pence declined to comment to CNN.

Former President Donald Trump is also involved in several individual lawsuits that are making their way through the legal process — some of which he filed against other parties, including news organizations.

Ongoing lawsuits against Trump:

Ongoing lawsuits Trump has filed:

Former President Donald Trump faces multiple investigations, but the most immediate potential indictment could come from a probe related to his alleged role in a hush money payment scheme involving adult film star Stormy Daniels.

If Trump is indicted, then what happens?

One federal law enforcement source told CNN’s John Miller over the weekend that Trump’s Secret Service detail is actively engaged with authorities in New York City about how this arrest process would work.

It’s usually a routine process of fingerprinting, a mug shot and an arraignment. It would not likely be a public event and clearly his protective detail would move through the building with Trump. New York does not release most mug shots after a 2019 law intended to cut down on online extortion.

Here's how various law enforcement agencies would play a role:

What about a jury?

The Sixth Amendment guarantees “the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed.”

The New York State Unified Court System’s trial juror’s handbook explains the “voir dire” process by which jurors are selected. Those accepted by both the prosecution and defense as being free of “bias or personal knowledge that could hinder his or her ability to judge a case impartially” must take an oath to act fairly and impartially.

Could Trump ever go to jail?

He hasn’t been indicted, much less tried or convicted. Any indictment, even for a Class E felony in New York, would be for the kind of nonviolent offense that would not lead to jail time for any defendant.

“I don’t expect Trump to be put in jail if he is indicted for any of these charges. Jail time would only come if he were convicted and sentenced to jail time," said Richard Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Hasen also said the Secret Service would have to arrange for his protection in jail — something that is logistically challenging.

CNN answers more questions related to the cases here.

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday remained defiant as the probe by the Manhattan district attorney’s office into the former president’s role in an alleged hush money payment scheme nears its final stages and a potential indictment of Trump looms. 

Trump claimed he was “100% INNOCENT” in a post on his social media website Truth Social on Thursday and baselessly claimed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was taking orders from the “RADICAL LEFT.” 

“OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED, AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL,” Trump wrote in all caps in the post. 

Over the weekend, Trump claimed he was going to be arrested on Tuesday and called for protests, prompting some allies and advisers to privately urge the former president to tone down his rhetoric, sources told CNN.

The office of Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg accused House Republicans of launching an “an unprecedent inquiry into a pending local prosecution,” while defending the investigation into former President Donald Trump’s hush money payments to an adult film actress during the 2016 election.

Dubeck called the Republicans’ claims that the probe was politically motivated “unfounded.”

She added that, “regardless, the proper forum for such a challenge is the Courts of New York, which are equipped to consider and review such objections.” 

Still, she requested that the committees meet and confer with Bragg’s office to discuss whether the House has a “legitimate legislative” purpose for what it is seeking and whether those records could be turned over without infringing on New York’s sovereign interests.

The previous letter demanding information about Bragg’s investigation was sent Monday by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, House Oversight Chairman James Comer and House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil, who criticized the hush money probe into Trump as an “unprecedented abuse of prosecutorial authority.”

Dubeck’s five-page response to the Republicans’ demands — which included testimony from Bragg as well as documents and communications related to the investigation — cited case law and legal arguments for why the GOP requests amounted to an “unlawful incursion into New York's sovereignty.”

She said that the Constitution’s 10th Amendment limited the federal government’s authority over local law enforcement and argued that Congress specially is not an executive branch entity with law enforcement powers. Pointing to laws protecting grand jury secrecy, Dubeck added that the House Republicans were seeking “non-public information about a pending criminal investigation, which is confidential under state law,” and therefore, she argued, complying with the committees’ request would interfere with law enforcement. 

Dubeck also scoffed at the Republicans’ claims that they needed testimony from Bragg and the requested documents as part of a congressional review of federal public safety funds.

Dubeck wrote, “the Letter does not suggest any way in which either the District Attorney's testimony about his prosecutorial decisions or the documents and communications of former Assistant District Attorneys on a pending criminal investigation would shed light on that review.”

But, she added, “nonetheless, to assist Congress in understanding the ways in which the DA's Office has used federal funds, we are preparing and will submit a letter describing its use of federal funds.”

The Manhattan grand jury investigating Trump’s alleged role in a scheme to pay hush money to an adult film star will not hear that case when it convenes today, according to two sources familiar with the matter, pushing the Manhattan’s district attorney’s probe into next week.

After today, the Manhattan grand jury will next convene on Monday, when it is possible they could hear additional testimony from a witness.

The district attorney’s office declined to comment.

Grand juries typically hear multiple cases at a time.

More background: As the investigation nears its final stages, prosecutors are considering the historic nature of prosecuting a former president – an unprecedented act, sources tell CNN. Other sources tell CNN the DA’s office is taking a moment to regroup after the events of the past week.

New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has suggested to an attorney for at least one witness in the past 24 hours that they might need to provide more testimony to the grand jury in its hush money probe, according to one source familiar with the probe.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is trying to determine whether to call back Trump's former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, to refute the testimony provided earlier this week by lawyer Robert Costello —or to call an additional witness to buttress their case before the grand jurors consider a vote on whether to indict the former president, the source familiar with the investigation said.

A federal court hearing over former Vice President Mike Pence's grand jury testimony and Donald Trump's claims of executive privilege over their conversations around January 6, 2021, is set to happen under seal today in Washington, DC.

Trump’s defense attorneys Evan Corcoran, Jim Trusty, John Rowley and Tim Parlatore are at the courthouse as well as Pence’s attorney Emmett Flood. They are expected to argue Trump’s claims of executive privilege. Corcoran declined to comment. 

As CNN reported Wednesday, Corcoran is scheduled to testify Friday at the same courthouse before a federal grand jury investigating possible mishandling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. A federal appeals has court ruled Corcoran must provide additional testimony and turn over documents about the former president as part of the criminal probe. 

Corcoran also declined Thursday morning to say whether he has complied with the appeals court order to turn over notes he had in the classified documents case.

CNN's Sara Murray, Paula Reid and Kaitlin Collins contributed reporting to this post.

Former President Donald Trump’s defense attorney Evan Corcoran is scheduled to testify Friday before the grand jury investigating classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago after a new order from a federal appeals court, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

The US DC Circuit Court of Appeals said that Corcoran must provide additional testimony and turn over documents about the former president as part of the criminal investigation into possible mishandling of classified documents.

The source said Trump’s side is unlikely to appeal to the Supreme Court.

In response to the decision, a Trump spokesperson said, in part, that “there is no factual or legal basis or substance to any case against President Trump” and that “prosecutors only attack lawyers when they have no case whatsoever.”

The announcement from a panel of three judges in the appellate court – less than a day after Trump sought to put Corcoran’s testimony on hold – adds momentum to the special counsel investigation as it seeks to secure evidence that could make or break a federal criminal case against Trump.

The Justice Department has successfully argued in court that prosecutors have enough evidence that Trump’s interactions with the lawyer were part of a possible crime that they can pierce the confidentiality of the conversations between the two.

The documents at issue in the case are Corcoran’s handwritten notes and transcribed verbal notes, regarding his representation of Trump in the Mar-a-Lago probe, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Corcoran previously testified and declined to answer some questions, citing attorney-client privilege. Prosecutors are also seeking access to notes from Corcoran.

It’s not fully known what Corcoran’s testimony and documents would reveal.