President Trump wants the Supreme Court to bring back his lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and her allies, and to erase nearly $1 million in penalties for filing it.
Story Highlights
- On Friday, Oct. 9, Trump asked the Supreme Court to revive his 2022 suit against Clinton, James Comey, Christopher Steele and the Democratic National Committee.
- Lower courts threw the case out, mainly because they said it was filed too late.
- A judge ordered Trump and his lawyer, Alina Habba, to pay about $938,000 in sanctions.
- Trump argues a president’s duties in office should give him more time to sue.
- The Court has not acted on the petition.
Why Trump Went To The Highest Court
Trump is going to the Supreme Court because two lower courts shut his case down. They said he waited too long to sue, and they punished him for bringing it. Sanctions are penalties a judge orders when a court decides a lawsuit should never have been filed. Here they cover the other side’s legal fees and costs, about $938,000 in all.
Trump filed the suit in March 2022 in federal court in Florida. It claims Clinton and her allies worked together to hurt him with a “false narrative” that his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. It names Clinton; James Comey, the former FBI director; Christopher Steele, the former British spy who wrote the “Steele dossier,” a file of claims about Trump’s ties to Russia; the DNC; and others. The suit includes claims of racketeering, which means running a pattern of crimes as an organized scheme.
The Two Questions In Trump’s Petition
A petition is a formal request asking the justices to take up a case. Trump’s petition asks two things. First, should a president get extra time to file claims because of the unique demands of the job? Second, can a court punish a president and his lawyers for making that argument in good faith?
Richard Klugh, a lawyer for Trump on the petition, wrote that the lower court ruling “wrongly forces Presidents to choose between their public responsibilities and private claims.” He also argues it punishes lawyers and clients for reasonable constitutional arguments. Lawyers for Trump and Habba said in court papers that the rulings have a “profound impact on the presidency, and the nation as a whole.”
What The Lower Courts Said
U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, a federal trial judge in Florida, dismissed the suit. He found the claims came too late and that many of the statements Trump objected to were protected by the First Amendment. He called the suit a “two-hundred-page political manifesto outlining his grievances against those that have opposed him.” He then ordered Trump, Habba and her law firm to pay the sanctions.
In 2025, a panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta upheld the dismissal and the sanctions. Chief Judge William Pryor wrote that the claims were “untimely and otherwise meritless.” The full appeals court later declined to hear the case again.
Why It Matters To Conservatives
The Russia-collusion claims followed Trump through his first term. Special counsel John Durham’s 2023 report found the FBI lacked “actual evidence” when it opened its probe of the Trump campaign. Trump says the people behind those claims should answer for them in court.
The sanctions question reaches beyond Trump. If lawyers can be fined for pressing a serious, unsettled argument, many may avoid hard cases. That would make it tougher for any client, of any party, to get a full hearing.
What Happens Next
The justices decide for themselves which cases they hear. Clinton’s side has 30 days after the case is formally logged to respond, and it can ask for more time. Until the Court acts, the dismissal and the sanctions stand.
Sources:
cnn.com, supremecourt.gov, yahoo.com, ibtimes.co.uk
