The appeal targets the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, in which Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts related to falsified business records. While the jury returned guilty verdicts, Trump’s attorneys argue that the prosecution relied on a novel and constitutionally problematic theory to elevate what are typically misdemeanor record-keeping violations into felony offenses.
At the center of the appeal is Bragg’s use of an underlying “second crime” to justify felony charges—a crime that, according to the defense, was never clearly defined, never charged independently, and never agreed upon by jurors as a specific predicate offense. Trump’s lawyers contend that this approach violated due process by depriving the defendant of clear notice and by allowing jurors to convict without unanimity on the essential elements of the alleged crime. Continue reading…
