Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
Status of Donald Trump appeals in E Jean Carroll case 2024
Executive summary
President Donald Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court on November 10, 2025 to review a civil jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll and ordered $5 million in damages; a separate jury later awarded Carroll $83.3 million on related defamation claims and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the $5 million ruling before denying en banc review [1] [2] [3]. Trump’s petition argues trial judge Lewis A. Kaplan made significant evidentiary errors — including allowing testimony from other accusers and playing the “Access Hollywood” tape — and the appeal is now at the high court’s discretion whether to take it [4] [5] [6].
1. What Trump asked the Supreme Court to do — and why
Trump’s legal team filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to overturn the $5 million verdict that found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation, arguing the trial court committed “significant evidentiary errors” that prejudiced the jury, such as permitting testimony from two other women and showing the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape [4] [5]. The petition frames the issue as one of federal evidentiary law and conflicts among lower courts about when such evidence may be admitted, and it portrays Carroll’s allegations as untimely and uncorroborated — arguments the petition itself advances [4] [6].
2. Where the case sits in the appeals process now
Before the Supreme Court petition, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the jury’s verdict and damages, and Trump’s request for a rehearing en banc was rejected in June 2025; the Supreme Court filing follows that denial and uses an extended deadline Trump had been granted to seek review [3] [1] [7]. Whether the Supreme Court will grant certiorari is discretionary and the high court often declines cases that do not present a clear circuit split or major federal question, though Trump’s lawyers argue such a split exists here [4] [7].
3. The parallel $83.3 million defamation award and its vulnerability
Separately, a later jury awarded Carroll $83.3 million for defamation tied to post-trial statements; the Second Circuit in September 2025 issued a detailed opinion upholding that larger award and stating Carroll “was telling the truth” [2]. Legal analysts and Trump’s team have signaled that a favorable Supreme Court ruling on the $5 million case could have collateral effects on the $83.3 million defamation judgment, though the $83.3 million case itself was not the petition’s immediate subject [8] [2].
4. Positions and rhetoric from both sides
Trump’s lawyers and spokespeople frame the Supreme Court appeal as part of a broader campaign against what they call politicized prosecutions and “Liberal Lawfare,” calling Carroll’s claims a “hoax” and emphasizing alleged judicial error [4] [9]. Carroll’s legal team and supporters emphasize the Second Circuit’s 70-page ruling affirming the verdicts and damages, with her attorneys saying the appellate outcome confirmed Carroll’s account and criticizing attempts to relitigate through the courts [2] [4].
5. What the courts have already decided on evidence and liability
The Second Circuit panel found the district court did not err in a way that warranted a new trial, sustaining the admission of the contested evidence and upholding the damages awards; the appeals court’s ruling is the immediate legal barrier to reversal and it expressly rejected the arguments that Judge Kaplan’s rulings were improper [3] [2]. Trump’s petition reiterates those claims to the Supreme Court, highlighting disputes about admissibility and whether those decisions conflict with other federal appeals courts [4].
6. Likely timelines and what to watch for next
The Supreme Court controls whether and when to take the case; there is no set timetable for the justices to decide whether to grant review, and if they do take it the case could take many months to reach argument and resolution [10] [1]. Key signals to watch: whether the Court grants certiorari, the scope of issues the justices accept (evidentiary rules, presidential immunity implications, or narrower procedural questions), and any linkage the justices draw between the $5 million ruling and the separate $83.3 million defamation award [4] [8].
Limitations and gaps in coverage: available sources document the Supreme Court petition, prior appellate rulings, and public statements by both sides, but they do not specify the exact contents of the full petition beyond the main evidentiary claims nor predict the Court’s internal deliberations; the high court’s decision whether to hear the case is not reported as of these sources [5] [1] [4].