Were felony convictions against Donald Trump overturned on appeal in 2025?
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Executive summary
Donald Trump was convicted in May 2024 on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the New York "hush-money" case; he received an unconditional discharge so he served no time but remained a convicted felon [1]. Afterward his lawyers pursued appeals seeking to move the case into federal court and to invoke presidential-immunity principles; appellate courts in 2025 considered those arguments and signaled they might be receptive, including a 2nd Circuit hearing that raised the possibility of transfer and later directions to reconsider moving the case — but available sources do not say that his convictions were fully overturned on appeal in 2025 [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. What the conviction and sentence actually were — the concrete baseline
A New York jury in May 2024 found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts for falsifying business records tied to alleged hush-money payments; the sentencing judge later granted an unconditional discharge, meaning the conviction stands on his record but he faced no jail time, fines or probation [1] [5].
2. The appeal strategy: move the case to federal court and claim immunity
Trump’s lawyers have focused their appeals on two linked strategies: first, to transfer the appeal from New York state courts to the federal system; second, to argue that a later Supreme Court ruling recognizing broad presidential immunity for “official acts” should shield him from criminal liability for conduct tied to his time in office. Reporters and analysts note that success on either theory could lead to the conviction being thrown out [2] [4] [5].
3. Signals from appellate judges in 2025 — openness but not an overturning
Federal appeals judges in mid‑2025 signaled receptivity to arguments about federal jurisdiction and immunity, with the 2nd Circuit suggesting there was a “strong interest” in federal review of weighty immunity issues and entertaining moving the appeal to federal court — a step that could make overturning the state conviction more plausible, according to coverage in June 2025 [2] [4]. Later in 2025 a three-judge panel ordered a lower court to reconsider its decision to keep the case in state court, giving Trump “another shot” at challenging the conviction [3]. Those developments show active appellate motion practice and judicial consideration, not a final reversal [3] [2].
4. Did any source report an actual overturn in 2025?
None of the provided reporting states that the 34 felony convictions were overturned on appeal during 2025. Reports describe ongoing appeals, motions to transfer, and appellate panels reconsidering jurisdiction — but they stop short of reporting that the convictions were vacated or reversed in 2025 [2] [3] [5] [4]. Therefore, on the record available here, the convictions remained intact through the appellate steps described.
5. How Georgia’s separately dismissed case fits into the picture
Georgia’s racketeering case related to the 2020 election was dismissed or dropped in late November 2025, ending that separate state prosecution that had been unresolved; that outcome is distinct from the New York hush‑money conviction and does not mean the New York felony convictions were overturned [6] [7].
6. Why transfer to federal court would matter — competing viewpoints
Proponents of moving the appeal argue that because some trial evidence involved Trump’s time as president, federal courts should decide immunity questions and could apply the Supreme Court’s later immunity ruling to vacate convictions [2] [4]. Opponents — including New York prosecutors — argued the change was too late and that the state process should proceed; judges have weighed these competing legal and institutional interests without delivering a final nationwide resolution in 2025 [4] [2].
7. Limitations and what to watch next
Available sources here chronicle appellate maneuvers through late 2025 but do not include a final appellate decision reversing the New York convictions in 2025 [2] [3] [5]. Future, decisive steps to watch are (a) whether a federal appeals court actually accepts jurisdiction, (b) whether any court applies the Supreme Court’s immunity precedent to vacate the convictions, and (c) whether prosecutors seek further review at the state or U.S. Supreme Court level [2] [3] [5].
Sources cited: PBS on the conviction and sentence [1]; Forbes analysis of the June 2025 2nd Circuit hearing [2]; BBC and NY1 reporting on appeals and court orders in 2025 [4] [3]; BBC and other timelines noting the appeal filings and immunity arguments [5].