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Supporting Trump's Appeal: Legal Arguments for Federal Jurisdiction

Published July 31, 2026 at 12:05 PM UTC

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Former President Donald Trump's legal team argues that his 2024 conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records should be overturned or moved to federal court. They contend that the charges are based on actions taken during his presidency, which they believe fall under federal jurisdiction and are protected by presidential immunity. Trump's attorneys assert that the trial was "fatally marred" by the inclusion of evidence related to his official acts as president, such as testimony from former White House aide Hope Hicks and his social media posts. They argue that this evidence was inadmissible following the Supreme Court's 2024 ruling on presidential immunity, which limited the use of evidence related to a president's official acts. Trump's legal team also claims that the trial judge, Juan Merchan, should have recused himself due to alleged political bias, citing his past donations to Democratic causes. They argue that these factors combined resulted in an unfair trial, warranting the reversal of the conviction or its transfer to federal court.