Two courts are not enough, not even for Donald Trump nor on one Thursday.
His secret money criminal trial and Supreme Court hearing, legal events one and two, were already underway when he scored the hat-trick.
A New York judge announced that he was confirming the verdict and the $83 million compensation against Trump for defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll.
There’s a lot going on legally, and there’s a lot at stake for Trump.
Catch up: How the day in court unfolded
The Supreme Court hearing concerned the Jan. 6 riots, electoral subversion and Trump’s alleged involvement. It is a crime against democracy, at the most serious end of the legal danger it faces.
His lawyers argued that he should be protected by immunity from prosecution for what he did while acting as president.
The prosecution’s argument is that he was acting as a private citizen, not in an official capacity.
Trump was not present at the hearing in Washington DC, but he may have liked what he heard.
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The prevailing legal assessment is that discussions with the nine-judge panel indicate that, while they did not necessarily agree with his argument for immunity, they have enough questions to further delay prosecution.
A majority seems to think that presidents have some immunity from criminal prosecution for their official actions, even if the exact parameters are unclear.
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What is clear is that if the trial court is ordered to determine which of Trump’s allegedly illegal acts qualify for immunity as official acts, it will be a lengthy process that could easily carry the trial beyond the November election.
Such a scenario would suit Trump well. The less criminal exposure he has before America votes, the better for him.
If he can postpone the trial beyond November and win back the White House, he can use the power of the office to make the charges go away.
Photo: Reuters
The hush money trial in New York is the only one of four criminal trials that have begun.
The Supreme Court appears set to reduce the odds of it being the only one before the United States goes to the polls.
It is the pressing question of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about the man who would be president, and it is a race against time.
This stress test of the foundations of American democracy and the rule of law becomes increasingly stressful.