A gold-tinted Alvin Bragg looks vaguely overwhelmed, with court documents and Donald Trump in the background..
Photo illustration by Anna Kim/Slate. Photos by New York State Unified Court System, Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, and breeze393/iStock/Getty Images Plus.

Covering the Trump Trials: The Hush Money Case

Jurisprudence editor Jeremy Stahl has temporarily relocated to New York and is reporting from the courtroom every day as Trump’s first criminal case unfolds in Manhattan.

The Trump Criminal Cases Are Reaching Their Anticlimax

Shirin Ali

Too little, too late.

Why the Supreme Court Refused to Bail Out Trump This Time

Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern

The Supreme Court decided, by a scant 5–4 margin, that President Donald Trump would have to (virtually) sit through a sentencing hearing.

A Judge Finally Faced Down Donald Trump’s Disdain for the Legal System

Andrea Bernstein

In less than 40 minutes, it was over.

Sam Alito Failing to Recuse From This Trump Case Would Be a Historic Farce

Dahlia Lithwick

It makes a mockery of the so-called ethics rules that the justices put in place but that there’s no mechanism to enforce.

One Possible Explanation for Justice Merchan’s Last-Second Decision to Sentence Trump

Richard L. Hasen and Jeremy Stahl

If Trump seeks an emergency stay blocking the sentencing, we expect he will succeed.

Trump Learned Every Lesson From the Roy Cohn Playbook, Except the Most Important One

Andrea Bernstein

“No public man can indefinitely survive in the center of controversy.”

I Thought the Trump Conviction Would Never Hold Up. But a Huge Problem Just Got Fixed.

Jed Shugerman

“If you come at the king, you best not miss."

Why the Supreme Court Will Not Be Rescuing Trump in New York Anytime Soon

Dahlia Lithwick

If he loses the election, then it's a court that doesn't have as much of a vested interest in him.

How Trump Is Going to Fight His Conviction

Shirin Ali

An expert walks us through what could happen next.

New York City Popped Off When Trump’s Guilty Verdict Was Announced

Natalie Shutler and Shirin Ali

He truly faced a jury of his peers.

Donald Trump Is a Convicted Felon. Let That Sink In.

Jeremy Stahl

Ultimately, the prosecution told a coherent and convincing story.

The Jury Is Still Deliberating. Here’s What to Make of Their First Questions.

Jeremy Stahl

The first questions focused on the first part of the trial. Here’s a refresher.

On Trump Trial Closing Arguments Day, You Could Feel the Gravity in the Room

Shirin Ali

Now we wait.

Trump’s Lawyer Botched His Closing Arguments. I Think I Know Why!

Dennis Aftergut

Pleasing the client remains more important than convincing the jury.

We’re Heading Into the Final Days of the Trump Trial. Here’s What to Expect.

Shirin Ali

The jury has a lot to consider.

The One Way Trump Could Surprise Us Now

Jeremy Stahl

I’m worried the media is still possibly afflicted by a core problem when it comes to Donald Trump.

A Key Weakness of Trump’s Defense Is Coming Into View

Jeremy Stahl

Trump's lawyers are going to have to do better than that if they want to win.

This 1938 Mob Case Has Some Mind-Boggling Parallels to the Trump Hush Money Trial

Dennis Aftergut and Philip Allen Lacovara

There's a great poetic irony to it.

The Prosecution Actually Wants the Jury to Think Michael Cohen Is a Pathetic Scumbag

Jeremy Stahl

They're trying to frame the former Trump fixer’s biggest weakness as a strength.

Cohen’s Testimony Hints At a Strategic Move From the Prosecution in the Hush Money Trial

Jeremy Stahl

You could tell it was going to be a big day just by who showed up.

After a Rough Week of Testimony, Stormy Daniels Seems to Have the Upper Hand

Jeremy Stahl

The adult film actor was able to maintain her composure.

I Watched Trump’s Lawyers Cross-Examine Stormy Daniels. It Was Painful.

Susan Matthews

It was almost impressive how Trump's lawyer managed to be so pedantic and also bullying at the same time.

Why Michael Cohen’s Coming Testimony Will Be a Very Big Deal

Dennis Aftergut

Cohen can tie together all the threads of the criminal scheme with which Trump is charged.

When Stormy Daniels Told Her Story in Court, the Absurd Horror of This Trial Finally Hit Home

Jeremy Stahl

Imagine if this story had come out right after the Access Hollywood tape.

Donald Trump Really Did This to Himself

Jeremy Stahl

He probably wouldn’t even be on trial if he hadn’t been such an annoying, frugal boss.

Donald Trump’s Lawyer Helped Make Alvin Bragg’s Case for Him

Jeremy Stahl

Of course he’s going to blame it on a woman.

The Trump Defense Made Hope Hicks Cry. The Prosecution Got What It Wanted.

Jeremy Stahl

It was the most dramatic day in the courtroom yet.

We Can Learn a Lot From the Weird Crew That Keeps Showing Up to Trump’s Trial

Jeremy Stahl

I sure am seeing a lot of weirdos at Trump’s trial.

The Rule of Law Finally Comes for Donald Trump

Dennis Aftergut and Frederick Baron

No president has ever been held in criminal contempt before.

Trump Has Always Been a Caricature of a Particular Type of Villain. It’s on Full Display Right Now.

Jeremy Stahl

As we wait for more explosive testimony, let’s consider what David Pecker made clear.

Why David Pecker’s Testimony Was So Credible

Jeremy Stahl

David Pecker resumes testifying on Friday, the fourth day of testimony in Donald Trump’s first criminal trial.

Prosecutors Are Finally Revealing Their Strategy Against Trump

Jeremy Stahl

Here’s why the word “conspiracy” has become so critical to the case.

You Don’t Want to Know How It’s Going Between Trump’s Lawyers and the Judge Presiding Over His Criminal Case

Jeremy Stahl

(Yes you do.)

I Was in the Courtroom With Trump. He Seems Pretty Checked Out.

Jeremy Stahl

The former president seemed to completely ignore the prosecution's opening arguments.

The Most Revealing New Piece of Evidence Offered Up at Today’s Trump Trial

Robert Katzberg

The lawyer who helped broker the Stormy Daniels payment understood something important.

One Week Into His Trial, Donald Trump Is Doing Himself No Favors With Jurors

Jeremy Stahl and Mark Joseph Stern

Donald Trump’s attitude toward jurors at his trial is hostile and aggressive.

What the Trump Jurors Think of the Former President

Jeremy Stahl

“Some of the ways he may carry himself in public leaves something to be desired,” one juror said.

The Trump Trial Is Already Influencing Public Opinion in Big Ways

Dahlia Lithwick and Anat Shenker-Osorio

This is exactly the kind of movement that could determine the election.

Thursday Proved the True Difficulty of Picking Jurors to Assess Donald Trump

Jeremy Stahl

Here's what the process has looked like in the court room.

They Somehow Already Found Seven Jurors Suitable to Judge Donald Trump. This Is Who They Are.

Jeremy Stahl

There are two lawyers already, and someone who wasn’t born in the U.S.

It Took One Day for Trump to Get in Trouble at His First Criminal Trial

Jeremy Stahl

The severity of his legal situation might finally be hitting him.

The First Trump Criminal Trial Starts Monday. The Stakes Are So Much Bigger Than a Payment to a Porn Actor.

Jeremy Stahl

Donald Trump goes on trial Monday for allegedly making an illegal payment to a porn actor.

I Was a Skeptic of the Stormy Daniels Prosecution. I Was Wrong.

Mark Joseph Stern

The prosecution of Donald Trump starting in New York this week is on firm legal ground.

Photo illustration by Anna Kim/Slate. Photos by New York State Unified Court System, Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images, and breeze393/iStock/Getty Images Plus.