President Donald Trump is taking his failed lawsuit against Hillary Clinton to the US Supreme Court. He wants the justices to revive a case that judges previously dismissed as political theater, a move that also saddled him with nearly $1 million in sanctions.
Donald Trump’s case with Hillary Clinton is moving towards SCOTUS
Trump filed a request with the high court on Tuesday, asking for an extra month to submit his formal appeal. He aims to overturn a unanimous ruling from the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals. That three-judge panel threw out his lawsuit in November and affirmed financial penalties against Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba. Two of those judges were Republican appointees, including one Trump himself appointed.
The lawsuit targets Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and numerous other defendants. Trump accuses them of conspiring to smear his 2016 campaign by peddling false allegations of collusion with Russia. The complaint points to the Steele dossier and claims the defendants violated the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. US District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks saw things differently. He dismissed the case and imposed the sanctions in January 2023, declaring that Trump was using the courts as a stage for political theater and personal grievance.
Now, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court filing signals his intent to challenge the appeals court’s finding that he waited too long to bring the lawsuit. His lawyer, Richard C. Klugh Jr., told the justices that granting an extension until September 9 would reduce disruption to the president’s work as chief executive. David Kendall, who represents Clinton, has not made a comment on this.
All in all, the 11th Circuit’s unanimous decision described the lawsuit against Hillary Clinton as frivolous. The court showed no deference to Trump’s position or political stature when it upheld the sanctions. Now Trump asks the highest court in the land to take a different view. Whether the justices will agree to hear the case remains uncertain.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.com.
