Once again, the United States Supreme Court has deferred its decision on whether to review the
$5 million jury verdict against former President Donald Trump. The jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse
and defamation in a lawsuit filed by journalist E. Jean Carroll in 2022. Carroll accused Trump of sexually
assaulting her in a Manhattan department store in 1996 and subsequently defaming her in a 2022 social media
post dismissing her allegations as a “Hoax.”
After the jury sided with Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages, the verdict was upheld by a federal
appeals court. Trump sought the Supreme Court’s intervention in 2025, contending that the case was flawed
because Carroll’s legal team was permitted to submit testimony from other women who claimed Trump assaulted
them, as well as the 2005 “Access Hollywood” tape where he made contentious remarks about women. For more details
on the background, see this overview.
Carroll opposed the review, highlighting that even if certain evidence was improperly considered, it did not
affect the sufficient strength of her remaining case. Since January, the Supreme Court has redistributed Trump’s
petition multiple times, postponing its consideration without providing explanations, as reported by
SCOTUSblog.
The delay might relate to an additional defamation case against Trump in which an $83 million verdict in favor of
Carroll was upheld by the same appeals court. Trump is considering petitioning for a Supreme Court review in that case
as well, aiming to replace himself with the U.S. government as a defendant on the basis that he was serving as president
when the statements were made. This potential intersection could be influencing the current case’s delay, as explained by
AP News.