Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, weeks after being discharged from jail, is seeking restitution as his lawyers filed a claim for $20 million in damages against the Trump administration. They alleged that Khalil was falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted and smeared as an 'antisemite' as the government sought to deport him over his prominent role in campus protests.
Speaking to Associated Press, Khalil said this lawsuit is aimed to send a message that he won't be intimidated into silence. “They are abusing their power because they think they are untouchable. Unless they feel there is some sort of accountability, it will continue to go unchecked,” said Khalil.
Donald Trump is among the three United States presidents to have been impeached, although none were convicted. The other two were Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton.
The Department of Justice has issued two detailed memorandum opinions, one in 1973 and another in 2000, discussing a sitting president’s scope of immunity from criminal and civil actions. In both opinions, based on the principle of separation of power, the Department determined that a sitting president cannot be indicted, prosecuted or jailed for a criminal claim while in office. The opinions apply equally to federal and state prosecutions.
Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a felony, and he is also the only convicted felon to be elected as president. Here is a list of major cases against Donald Trump:
Ongoing And Recently Resolved Cases:
June 2023 ‘Mishandling of Sensitive Documents’ Case In Florida
Trump was indicted in June 2023 in the Court for the Southern District of Florida in a federal indictment related to classified government documents. Trump faced 40 criminal charges alleging mishandling of sensitive documents and conspiracy to obstruct the government in retrieving these documents. On July 15, 2024, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case, ruling Jack Smith's appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional.
In compliance with the long-standing departmental policy of not prosecuting a sitting president, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals chose to wind down the case following Trump's election in November 2024. It abandoned its appeal regarding Trump, which the court dismissed on November 25, 2024, and regarding Walt Nauta and Carlos Oliveira, dismissed on January 29, 2025.
March 2023 ‘Hush Money’ Case In New York
Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Allegedly to conceal payments made to the adult film actress Stormy Daniels as hush money. The costs related to these transactions totalled $420,000. The Manhattan District Attorney accused Trump of falsifying these business records with the intent to commit other crimes.
Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts on May 30, 2024. The scheduled sentencing of September 18 was delayed until November 26, 2024. On January 10, 2025, Trump received an unconditional discharge of his sentence.
August 2023 ‘Capital attack’ Case In Washington DC
Trump was indicted in August 2023 in the Court for the District of Columbia in a federal indictment related to attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Trump faces four criminal charges of conspiring to defraud the government and disenfranchise voters, and corruptly obstructing an official proceeding. This case includes Trump's involvement in the January 6 US Capitol attack.
On November 25, 2024, Judge Tanya Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the case without prejudice, implying that it can be reopened later.
August 2023 Indictment In Georgia
In August 2023, Trump faces 8 criminal charges related to alleged attempts to overturn Joe Biden's victory in Georgia, alongside 18 accused co-conspirators. Trump initially faced 13 criminal charges, 5 of which were dismissed.
On December 19, 2024, the Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Willis from prosecuting the case. Since then, the case has been stalled as determining whether a state-level prosecutor can prosecute a sitting president and whether a state-level judge can hear the case is still pending.
Cases Before His Political Dominance:
‘Racial Discrimination’ Cases Of 1973 In New York
In October 1973, Donald Trump, his father Fred, and their real estate company were accused by the Justice Department. A civil rights case in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The complaint alleged that the firm had committed systemic violations of the Fair Housing Act of 1968 in their many complexes--39 buildings, among them containing over 14,000 apartments.
The allegations included evidence from black and white "testers" who had sought to rent apartments; the white testers were told of vacancies; the black testers were not, or were steered to apartment complexes with a higher proportion of racial minorities. The complaint also alleged that Trump employees had placed codes next to housing applicant names to indicate if they were black.
The case was settled after two years, in an ordinary declaration of liability without any charges. Trumps were “prohibited” from discriminating.
Multiple Sexual Misconduct Cases Since 1989
There have been several cases of sexual misconduct against Trump. Plaintiffs include A businesswoman who worked with Trump, Jill Harth; a Former Miss Utah, Temple Taggart; E. Jean Carroll and many more. In many of these cases, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse.
Over 4,000 Lawsuits From 1980s–2010s
“The president-elect has been party to some 4,000 lawsuits over the last 30 years and is currently facing 75 active lawsuits,” the BBC reported in November 2016. From the 1980s through the 2010s, Donald Trump and his businesses were involved in hundreds of lawsuits.
These ranged from minor contract disputes to major fraud allegations, and they reveal a consistent pattern in Trump's legal and business strategy: aggressive litigation, frequent countersuits, and a willingness to settle without admission of guilt.
