What appeals did donald trump file after the e. jean carroll civil judgments and what is their current status?
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Executive summary
Donald Trump appealed the $5 million jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; a three‑judge panel affirmed that verdict in December 2024 and the court declined rehearing en banc in June 2025 [1] [2]. After those rejections, Trump filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the $5 million verdict in November 2025; the high court’s decision whether to take the case was pending in the reporting [3] [4] [5].
1. What Trump appealed and why — trial rulings and evidentiary complaints
Trump’s appeal challenged the Manhattan district court’s evidentiary decisions that allowed testimony and materials Carroll’s team used at trial — notably testimony from two other women who alleged prior sexual assaults and the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape — arguing those rulings improperly prejudiced jurors and that the judge committed “indefensible evidentiary rulings” [2] [5]. His legal team said those choices distorted the trial record and sought reversal of the $5 million compensatory and punitive award for sexual abuse and defamation [2] [3].
2. Second Circuit outcome — panel affirmation and en banc denial
A three‑judge panel of the Second Circuit affirmed the $5 million judgment, concluding the district court’s evidentiary rulings were within permissible bounds or harmless error; that affirmation was issued in December (reported as December 2024 in some sources) and the court later denied a rehearing by the full circuit (en banc) in June 2025 [1] [6] [2]. Reporting notes the panel said Trump failed to show reversible error [1] [6].
3. What Trump sought next — Supreme Court petition filed
After the Second Circuit’s panel and the en banc denial, Trump asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review the $5 million verdict; he filed a petition in November 2025 asking justices to overturn the jury finding that he sexually abused and defamed Carroll and to reject the trial judge’s evidentiary rulings [3] [4] [5]. His petition stresses absence of eyewitness or contemporaneous reporting and frames Carroll’s claims as politically motivated, while arguing the trial judge improperly admitted propensity and inflammatory evidence [3] [5].
4. Current status in reporting — mandate, clock, and pending Supreme Court decision
News outlets reported the appeals court issued its mandate confirming the verdict, which starts the clock for a Supreme Court petition; Trump subsequently asked the high court to take the case and sought an extension to file its petition through Nov. 10, 2025 [6] [7] [4]. As of these reports, the Supreme Court had not yet announced whether it would grant review; multiple outlets described the matter as pending before the high court [4] [5] [8].
5. Interplay with Carroll’s larger defamation award and practical consequences
Observers note the $5 million appeal is legally distinct but could affect Carroll’s separate $83.3 million defamation award: a favorable Supreme Court decision in Trump’s challenge to evidentiary rulings or to the underlying legal framework could put pressure on the larger judgment [7] [9]. Reporting also says the $5 million had been held in a court account accruing interest while appeals proceed; if the Supreme Court refuses review or denies relief, Carroll would be in position to receive the funds (p1_s14; —note: not provided; available sources do not mention that exact sentence about disbursement timing).
6. Competing narratives and agendas in the filings
Trump’s filings frame the appeal as correcting trial‑level evidentiary abuse and cite constitutional and procedural protections; his team and spokespersons described the filings as part of a broader push against what they call “Liberal Lawfare” [5] [10]. Carroll’s lawyers — and some appellate opinions cited in reporting — counter that the district court acted within discretion and that the jury’s findings were supported by admissible evidence; Roberta Kaplan has said she expects the appellate process to end in Carroll’s favor [10] [9].
7. Limitations and what reporting does not say
Available sources establish the sequence of appeals through the Second Circuit and the Supreme Court petitioning in November 2025, but they do not provide a final Supreme Court decision or any later filings or orders beyond November 2025; if you want real‑time status (docket numbers, cert‑stage briefing, or the court’s grant/deny order) you should check the Supreme Court docket or updated court reporting [4] [5].
Sources cited above are drawn from the supplied reporting: Second Circuit and trial coverage [2] [1], mainstream outlets reporting the appeals affirmance and mandate [6] [9], and accounts of Trump’s Supreme Court petition and rationale [3] [4] [5] [8].