Source: Google

Trump’s special treatment in the courts highlights failings in our legal system

Trump’s special treatment in the courts highlights failings in our legal system

Former President Trump and his organization have been sued repeatedly throughout his career.

Source: Google

Source: Google

In 2023, the former president has been charged with several crimes of a very different sort.

Source: Google

One might think that someone who risks spending decades in prison should get more protection from the courts than someone who risks having to pay money, but the opposite is true for most defendants.

Source: Google

Trump’s experience offers a lens into how criminal courts could better treat those charged with crimes — in large part by treating them more like those who have been sued.

Source: Google

To begin with, when someone is sued, they can usually live comfortably while a trial proceeds, whereas three-quarters of federal criminal defendants are locked up while they await trial.

Source: Google

Pretrial detention is hugely consequential — incarcerated defendants plead guilty more often and serve longer sentences, and they may never recover from the lost freedom and lost wages even if they win at trial.

Source: Google

Trump has gotten advantages in his criminal cases that look more like those in a civil case, in ways that we think should be much more common.

Source: Google

In criminal cases, the government typically provides sparse allegations without meaningful detail.

Source: Google

The Trump indictments are laudably detailed, some exceeding 80 pages with transcripts of the evidence.