The lawyer, Keith Davidson, testified that the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Donald J. Trump described assaulting women, increased the urgency of talks to buy and bury Ms. Daniels’s story of a sexual encounter with him. The $130,000 payment is at the heart of the case.
Judges have discretion and discretionary authority to issue contempt, and such orders and penalties are rarely overturned. Most fines and incarceration would definitely happen with less stimulus.
It’s not fair and it does undermine equal application of justice to not treat Trump like every other petty criminal.
The issue is that using every pretext available to delay the trial is Trump’s only game right now, and if you’re playing to win (Trump convicted and/or in jail prior to the election), you don’t give him any pretexts. I get it. It sucks, but it’s the rational move.
Is this the normal pattern? Ignore several times before issuing a fine?
Judges have discretion and discretionary authority to issue contempt, and such orders and penalties are rarely overturned. Most fines and incarceration would definitely happen with less stimulus.
It’s not fair and it does undermine equal application of justice to not treat Trump like every other petty criminal. The issue is that using every pretext available to delay the trial is Trump’s only game right now, and if you’re playing to win (Trump convicted and/or in jail prior to the election), you don’t give him any pretexts. I get it. It sucks, but it’s the rational move.