With Trump’s trial over (for now), what’s next?

A New York jury found Donald Trump guilty on 34 counts of
falsifying business records. It is the first time a former
president has been convicted of a crime. The case was rooted in
Trump’s attempt to keep a damaging story about himself and
actress Stormy Daniels out of the news during the 2016 election.
With any potential punishment still far out, the focus now is on
how the conviction will impact politics in the upcoming weeks and
months. Will Trump or Joe Biden find the best way to capitalize
on the ruling? Will voters who were already unmoved by the
proceedings be stirred to action?


Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito notified Congress that he
would not recuse himself from cases involving the January 6th
riots or the 2020 election. Members of Congress were calling for
a recusal following reports that flags associated with the Stop
the Steal movement were flown over his residence and a vacation
home in 2021 and 2023. Alito claims his wife put up the flags and
he was not involved. The situation rekindled conversations about
justices’ responsibilities for their spouses’ actions. But more
concerning is how this incident (and the Donald Trump trial)
plays into growing levels of public mistrust in the judiciary.