USC law professor: Trump could still run for president from jail

Former President Donald Trump walks out of court and toward the media following the verdict in his hush money trial, in New York, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (Mark Peterson/New York Magazine via AP, Pool)

LOS ANGELES – Following swift reaction from Southland politicians on the conviction of Donald Trump, a USC law professor Thursday shared her thoughts on the case – noting the former president could still run for the position come November.

Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts, with jurors finding he falsified business records to cover up hush money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to silence her contentions during the 2016 presidential campaign that she had a sexual encounter with Trump about 10 years earlier.

USC law professor Aya Gruber, who is an expert on criminal law and procedure, violence against women and critical theory, described the case as “politicized” for one where there was a lot of evidence for charges that are fairly straightforward. She said the jury paid attention to the facts, what’s happening in the court, and presentation of the evidence.

Trump is most likely going to appeal the verdict, with Gruber adding that he could “still run for president from jail.”

“I think everybody’s concerned, but depending on how the appeal goes, and what the grounds of appeal are, this may be put to the Supreme Court,” Gruber told City News Service. “I don’t know if it’s going to be fast tracked, and I know a lot of people have concerns about the Supreme Court not being exactly unbiased right now.”

The implications of the verdict are “hard to say,” but one thing that’s clear is that it does not disqualify Trump for running for president or serving as president later, unless something happens with appeals and the conviction stands, according to Gruber.

It may stop him from voting for president, for himself. As a voter in Florida, the laws bar people convicted of felonies in the state from voting if they haven’t completed all terms of sentence. But different rules apply if someone is convicted of a felony in another state.

If he is sent to jail, Florida’s clemency board – made up of Republicans Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis – could restore his right to vote, the Tampa Bay Times reported Thursday afternoon. (CNS)