Trump’s First Trial Starts in New York.

So, the case against Trump which opened in New York today sets a new precedent in the Trump legal world because for the first time since he left office in 2021, Trump appeared as a defendant in court without the usual gaggle of supporters and MAGA noisemakers out in the street. The crowd outside the courtroom this morning was described by WNYC as ‘small.’

I suspect the lack of a cheering section is not just a function of the fact that everyone is beginning to get a little tired of Trump complaining about how he’s a ‘victim’ and a ‘target’ of legal abuse, but it also reflects the fact that this case is a civil, not criminal proceeding, so if he loses, Trump doesn’t go to jail.

Actually, the case wasn’t brought against Trump per se, but against a business entity called the Trump Organization, which is the company owned by Trump and his kids. So, even if it turns out that Trump and his kinder made all kinds of illegal claims about the value of this and the value of that, the legal action is against the corporation, and corporations can’t be sent to jail.

On the other hand, corporate officers can be prohibited from working for the corporation and the corporation can be prohibited from doing business in the state where it is located and has numerous holdings and properties that need to be managed on a day-to-day basis.