Turley Discusses the Future After Trump’s Guilty Verdict

Legal scholar and George Washington University Law School professor Jonathan Turley published a blog post on Friday morning, explaining what comes next after former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts by a Manhattan jury, a verdict that pushed the American political and legal system into uncharted territory.

Turley, who was outside the Manhattan courthouse when the verdict was handed down on Thursday afternoon, wrote that Trump’s legal team will appeal, adding that he believes “convictions will be overturned.”

“Indeed, moments like this require us to take a leap of faith in a nation that remains committed to the rule of law. Manhattan is neither the entirety of the country nor the legal system. I believe that these convictions will be overturned, but it will take time,” Turley wrote. “Judge Merchan committed, in my view, layers of reversible error. Eventually, this case may reach the United States Supreme Court.”

The lawyer said he doesn’t see the Supreme Court stepping “directly” into the case since it previously rejected Trump’s attempt to expedite the review of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal prosecutions.

“It will work first through the New York appellate system,” he wrote.

Other legal experts, such as Heritage Foundation fellow Roger Severino and commentator Mark Levin, said that the Supreme Court could intervene after Trump’s conviction, arguing that the former president’s right to a fair trial was violated.

As for the immediate next steps for the former president, Turley wrote, “Trump will have to meet with a probation officer for an interview. That officer will make recommendations to the court.”

While Trump faces prison time, Turley said such a sentence would be “ridiculous.”

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“There is a possibility of a jail sentence for felonies that come with up to four years for each offense. Any jail sentences would almost certainly run concurrently. However, any jail sentence would be ridiculous in Manhattan for an elderly first-offender in a non-violent offense,” he wrote.

“It is much more likely that Merchan will impose a sentence without a jail sentence, though with fines. The most appropriate, in my view, would be a conditional discharge that requires Trump not to commit a new crime or face potential imprisonment,” Turley added. “Merchan could also tailor a sentence to require home confinement or even weekend jailing. Those options would raise serious conflicts with his campaigning and obviously, if elected, serving as president. Even the probation process will be awkward since a convicted defendant ordinarily has to get approval for any travel outside of the state from his probation officer.”

Turley warned, however, that nothing should be ruled out since Merchan’s previous rulings in the trial have been head-scratching.

“After his ruling in this trial, it is impossible to rule anything out,” he wrote. “However, any jail sentence would add even more outrage to an abuse of the criminal law system.”

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