They may have been friends in the past, but ever since they faced off in the 2016 election, President Donald Trump and former First Lady Hillary Clinton have been at war with each other, figuratively speaking.
Now, their fight is about to escalate to the nation’s highest court.
Advertisement
Trump is continuing his long-running legal battle against Clinton by asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lower court ruling that dismissed his civil conspiracy claims and imposed nearly $1 million in sanctions.
Justice Clarence Thomas this week granted Trump’s request for additional time to file a petition asking the Supreme Court to hear the case.
Trump now has until Sept. 9 to submit his petition in Trump v. Clinton, which stems from allegations that Clinton and others helped promote claims that Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia.
Advertisement
The extension is a routine procedural action and does not reflect any opinion on the merits of the case.
As the justice assigned to matters arising from the relevant federal circuit, Thomas handles administrative requests such as filing extensions.
Advertisement
The Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the appeal only after the petition is filed, and at least four justices must vote to grant review before the case can proceed.
Trump’s legal team filed the extension motion on July 23 at the Supreme Court.
In it, his lawyers argued the forthcoming petition will raise “exceptionally important” issues and that the appellate ruling and sanctions order “carries with it profound impact on the Presidency, and the nation as a whole.”
Trump’s appeal is expected to focus not only on the underlying allegations surrounding the Russia investigation but also on the broader legal question of when courts may impose sanctions against a president and his attorneys for filing civil litigation.
The federal appeals court that reviewed the case sharply criticized the lawsuit, concluding that many of the legal arguments advanced by Trump and his attorney, Alina Habba, lacked merit.
The court upheld sanctions totaling nearly $1 million against Trump, Habba, and her New Jersey-based law firm.
The sanctions represent a significant financial penalty, and Trump’s appeal is expected to address both the underlying lawsuit and the broader authority of courts to impose substantial sanctions on litigants whose claims are found to lack legal merit.
Trump’s original complaint alleged that Hillary Clinton and others conspired to promote a false narrative linking his 2016 presidential campaign to Russian election interference.
Advertisement
The district court dismissed those claims, and the federal appeals court upheld that decision. The filing seeking additional time to petition the Supreme Court did not identify the specific appellate circuit that issued the ruling.
The Clinton lawsuit is one of several cases Trump is currently asking the Supreme Court to review.
In a separate defamation lawsuit against CNN over the network’s use of the phrase “big lie” to describe Trump’s claims regarding the 2020 election, Thomas also granted Trump additional time to file his petition. That filing is due Aug. 14.
Trump is also continuing his legal challenge in the E. Jean Carroll case.
Advertisement
After the Supreme Court declined to hear his initial appeal last month, he filed a petition for rehearing on July 8, asking the justices to reconsider the damages award entered against him, which the high court agreed to do in an unusual move.
Together, the three petitions place multiple Trump-related legal disputes before the court, each involving distinct legal questions ranging from sanctions and defamation to civil liability.
Clinton has not publicly commented on the Supreme Court’s decision to grant Trump additional time to file his petition.
Advertisement
Although she is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, the court filings do not indicate that she took any separate action in connection with the extension request.
The additional defendants identified in Trump’s original complaint were not specified in the available court records.
The lawsuit stems from Trump’s longstanding contention that allegations linking his 2016 presidential campaign to Russian election interference were knowingly promoted through false or misleading claims.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
