What are the current statuses and outcomes of each criminal case against Donald Trump as of 2026?
Executive summary
Donald Trump entered 2026 with the legal landscape largely reshaped by election returns, court rulings, and at least one completed state prosecution: he was convicted in the New York falsifying-business-records case in 2024 but federal prosecutions tied to classified documents and January 6 were dismissed after his 2024 election and affected by immunity rulings, while the Georgia state case has been delayed by the disqualification of the district attorney and remains unsettled as of early 2026 [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. New York (Manhattan) — Hush‑money / falsifying business records: conviction, sentence outcome, and legal posture
The New York prosecution brought in 2023 ended in a conviction: Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of first‑degree falsifying business records related to payments during the 2016 campaign, with the jury verdict delivered in May 2024 and subsequent legal maneuvers continuing into 2025; by January 10, 2025 the court recorded an unconditional discharge at sentencing, effectively resolving criminal punishment for that conviction as reported in Lawfare’s chronicle of the trials [1] [2]. Alternative narratives from Trump allies and sympathetic outlets frame the verdict as politically motivated and have driven appeals and public relations campaigns, but the conviction and the unique procedural history in state court remain documented facts in the record [2] [5].
2. Federal classified‑documents case — indictment, pause and dismissal after the 2024 election
A federal grand jury charged Trump in mid‑2023 with multiple counts tied to retention of classified documents, but after Trump’s 2024 election victory the Department of Justice’s criminal case was dismissed consistent with longstanding DOJ policies and the practical barrier to prosecuting a sitting president; commentators and international legal observers noted the dismissal effectively removed that federal prosecution from the immediate calendar as Trump returned to the White House [2] [3]. Supporters of the dismissal argue it restores the constitutional norm against charging a president in office, while critics say electoral results should not grant effective immunity from alleged crimes committed before office — an unresolved normative dispute reflected across the legal and political debate [3].
3. Federal January 6 election‑interference case — indictment, Supreme Court immunity implications, and dismissal
The Justice Department’s federal indictment over efforts to overturn the 2020 certification was filed in 2023, but subsequent litigation culminated in a sweeping Supreme Court decision that narrowed admissible evidence about official acts and raised immunity questions; post‑election, prosecutors paused and federal charges were dismissed as the administration changed and because of the practical constraints of indicting a sitting president, leaving the federal Jan. 6 case off the active docket in 2026 [2] [4] [3]. Advocates for accountability see the immunity jurisprudence as a threat to prosecutorial tools; defenders of executive prerogative frame the rulings as necessary protections for presidential decision‑making — the tension remains live in legal commentary [4].
4. Fulton County, Georgia — state election case: DA disqualified, trial date uncertain
The Georgia prosecution, alleging local election‑related crimes, proceeded in state court through preliminary stages but suffered a major procedural setback when the Georgia Court of Appeals granted a motion to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis on December 19, 2024, and the case has not produced a final trial date or verdict as courts untangle ethics and venue issues [1]. That procedural intervention has left the state case in limbo, drawing accusations from some that the disqualification was political relief and from others that it was necessary to preserve prosecutorial integrity; the docket remained unresolved into 2026 [1].
5. Big picture: counts, convictions, dismissals, and the political overlay
Across the four separate criminal matters brought between 2023 and 2025, reporting trackers counted roughly 88 total charges, with Ballotpedia documenting 34 convictions and numerous dismissals by late 2025; but those raw figures understate the larger story: federal dismissals after the 2024 election, a Supreme Court immunity framework that reshaped evidentiary boundaries, and strategic use of pardons and clemency by the president all combined to leave only the New York conviction fully resolved and other cases paused, dismissed, or procedurally stalled as of early 2026 [2] [3] [6]. Sources diverge sharply on interpretation: civil‑rights and accountability groups warn that institutional erosion and executive clemency threaten checks and balances, while administration allies and some legal commentators frame the post‑election dismissals and immunity rulings as restorations of constitutional norms — readers should weigh both agendas when assessing the legal record [7] [6].