As the United States Supreme Court prepares for its private conference on February 20, 2026, one of the high-profile petitions for review on their agenda will be from former President Donald Trump. He seeks intervention in a case resulting in a $5 million verdict against him, stemming from a civil suit initiated by E. Jean Carroll. Trump’s petition argues the lawsuit’s lack of merit, labeling it as both “facially implausible” and “politically motivated”. Conversely, Carroll’s submission urges the court to reject the appeal, asserting that the verdict is sound and should stand regardless of further judicial scrutiny.
Carroll, with a long tenure as an advice columnist at Elle, filed her 2022 lawsuit against Trump on allegations dating back to 1996, accusing him of sexual assault in a Manhattan department store and subsequent defamation via social media in 2022. Her legal action was enabled by a 2022 New York law that opened a one-year window permitting adult victims of sexual abuse to pursue claims otherwise barred by time limits.
The jury sided with Carroll in May 2023, leading to Trump’s appeal to the 2nd Circuit Court, which upheld the verdict in December 2024 with an opinion, and further denying reconsideration in June 2025.
Trump’s petition for review criticizes the introduction of certain evidence, such as testimonies from women who previously accused him of assaults, and the notoriously publicized “Access Hollywood” tape. However, Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, has argued against the review, reinforcing the 2nd Circuit’s ruling that these pieces of evidence did not sway the jury’s decision, emphasizing the solid grounding of Carroll’s case.
The Supreme Court could potentially decide on the petition shortly after their conference, but typically, multiple reviews are conducted over weeks before making a determination, with the timeline potentially extending into March. For a detailed breakdown of the case, visit SCOTUSblog’s comprehensive coverage.