What legal cases against Donald Trump remain active as of 2026 and where are they pending?
Executive summary
As of early 2026, Donald Trump faces a mix of active criminal indictments, state civil judgments and pending appeals, dozens of civil suits tied to January 6 and other alleged misconduct, and hundreds of lawsuits challenging or defending his administration’s executive actions — many of which are pending in lower courts and several poised at the U.S. Supreme Court [1] [2] [3] [4]. Major high-profile disputes are also in appeals or awaiting Supreme Court rulings on questions that will determine the scope of presidential power and administration policy [5] [6].
1. Federal criminal indictments and where they remain active
Reporting and trackers show multiple federal criminal matters continued into 2026, including the classified‑documents prosecution that has generated sequential pretrial proceedings under the Classified Information Procedures Act and judge-directed delays, with aspects of the case still pending in federal court [7] [1]. National outlets and litigation trackers list four criminal indictments overall and note that judges have paused or adjusted schedules because of immunity and procedural appeals, indicating active litigation in federal and district courts rather than resolved trials [1] [7].
2. State criminal and major civil financial judgments
State-level cases and civil judgments remain active as well: New York civil and criminal litigation tied to Trump’s business practices and alleged hush‑money matters continued through appeals and jurisdictional fights, and a large defamation judgment in favor of E. Jean Carroll — reported as an $83.3 million award — remains part of the broader portfolio of unresolved civil obligations and enforcement questions [1] [8]. News trackers emphasize that some state trial dates and enforcement actions were stayed or remanded while jurisdictional and immunity issues are litigated [1].
3. January 6 and other civil suits alleging incitement or harms
Civil litigation alleging that Trump incited the January 6 riot and seeking damages from him and his allies remains an active category tracked by legal observers; plaintiffs including police officers and civil‑rights groups continue to pursue claims in federal and state courts, and Just Security’s long‑running litigation tracker enumerates these suits as ongoing [2]. Those cases have produced complex discovery and procedural skirmishes and continue to work their way through the federal court system [2].
4. Litigation challenging executive orders and administration policies — hundreds of active suits
A parallel and sprawling docket involves litigation over Trump administration executive actions: hundreds of suits have been filed challenging immigration policies, workforce and DEI changes, grant restrictions, and more, with dozens of temporary blocks, appeals, and pending rulings noted in public trackers compiled by Just Security, Lawfare and AP [9] [10] [3]. Coverage by NPR, Forbes and AP documents that litigation over policies — more than 350 suits reported in some summaries — remains an active front in district and appellate courts across the country [11] [12] [3].
5. Cases at the Supreme Court and high‑impact appeals
Several high‑stakes disputes tied to Trump policies reached or were awaiting the Supreme Court in early 2026, including challenges to his global tariffs and to a controversial executive action on birthright citizenship, both framed as tests of presidential authority and awaiting dispositive rulings that could remap litigation outcomes nationwide [5] [6]. Axios and Reuters report that the Court was scheduled to issue key rulings in January 2026 on tariffs and other administrative actions, underscoring that some of Trump’s most consequential legal fights were concentrated at the nation’s highest court [5] [6].
6. Caveats, competing narratives and what trackers miss
Public trackers and major outlets provide the best available map but vary in scope and emphasis: Just Security and Lawfare focus on executive‑action litigation, AP and NPR synthesize criminal and civil status updates, and partisan or institutional sources can frame significance differently; none of the sources here claim to list every minor action, so precise counts and docket placements should be verified against court dockets for any single case [9] [10] [3] [11]. Reporting also shows active strategic litigation choices — appeals, jurisdictional fights, stays, and Supreme Court petitions — that keep many matters alive even when trial dates are postponed [1] [7].