Supreme Court Ignores Due Process: Trump Denied Review in $5 Million Carroll Defamation Case
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The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear President Donald Trump’s appeal, leaving in place a controversial $5 million jury verdict favoring writer E. Jean Carroll, despite ongoing questions about the fairness of the proceedings.
On Monday, the Supreme Court refused to grant President Donald Trump’s petition to overturn a $5 million verdict, which was handed down by a jury that found him liable for allegedly sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s and for defamation. The justices, in a move that raises concerns about equal justice under the law, also rejected several other petitions—a step that is relatively rare in the Court’s history. Trump, maintaining his innocence, had already paid the judgment after the Court declined his appeal in June.
In addition to the $5 million case, Trump and the Justice Department are working to have a separate $83 million verdict dismissed, rightly arguing presidential immunity for statements made about Carroll in 2019. The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on this crucial matter, which has significant implications for the office of the presidency.
Carroll, a media personality and former television host, claimed that Trump assaulted her during a chance encounter at a Manhattan department store. The jury, despite Trump’s firm denials and lack of concrete evidence, found him liable for defamation after he denied her allegations in 2022.
"As a result, the jury’s unanimous verdict that Donald Trump sexually assaulted and then defamed E. Jean Carroll is now final and cannot be challenged in any court," said Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, celebrating a verdict that many see as politically motivated.
Trump continues to deny any wrongdoing, standing firm against what he and his supporters describe as a politically charged attack.