Trump asks Supreme Court to review presidential immunity in $83 million Carroll defamation verdict

President Donald Trump has petitioned the Supreme Court to hear an appeal that argues his actions as president should be protected by presidential immunity, seeking to overturn an $83.3 million jury verdict finding him liable for defamation of columnist E. Jean Carroll. The appeal, which has not yet been docketed, relies on the Court’s 2024 decision that granted the president broad immunity for official conduct.

“This is the first case in our nation’s history in which a court has imposed damages liability on a president for his conduct in office,” Trump’s attorneys wrote, adding that the Second Circuit had not addressed presidential immunity.

Trump told the justices that upholding the verdict would “cause significant damage, not only to this president and future presidents” and to the nation. His lawyers also asked the Court to consider substituting the United States government as the defendant, arguing that the damages stem from statements made in official capacities.

Carroll’s attorneys declined to comment. The appeal follows a recent Supreme Court denial of a separate request to review a $5 million verdict in a related case. The $83 million judgment was based on statements Trump made in 2019 denying Carroll’s allegations of sexual assault and accusing her of fabricating the claim for political and financial gain. A federal appeals panel upheld the award, finding it reasonable given the facts and rejecting Trump’s claim that he had waived immunity.

The Department of Justice has indicated it will intervene, seeking to substitute the United States as the defendant under the Westfall Act, which could shift liability from Trump to the federal government. The Supreme Court, currently in recess, is not expected to consider the petition until the fall, with any decision likely delayed until next year.