# Manhattan Prosecutors file criminal charges for Trump re Stormy Daniels case - ongoing discussion here (Guilty on all 34 counts, May 30, 2024) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [March 9, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953 "2023-03-09T22:53:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 94
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1861 "2024-04-19T15:38:48Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > P.S. A couple hours in a locked room in the courthouse would not raise these issues. Maybe that will be tried. That could work, yes. While I admit some glee at the idea of Trump behind bars (if he “earns” this in a legal sense), I’m more interested in demonstrating equal justice in our system. Indeed, any partisan/personal glee is tempered by knowing how the “martyrdom” of Trump in jail (even if just for a few hours) could very well _boost_ his political prospects. So be it. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1862 "2024-04-19T15:40:49Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > I just don’t understand why that’s not an option for the judge when dealing with an incorrigible defendant. What bad thing would happen? MAGA nation outrage? > > Outrage that transforms into violence is the very reason for the gag order. I am no expert, of course, but it seems implausible to me that if a judge’s sanctions are ignored, he doesn’t escalate the consequences . I’m striking out so far in finding someone both (a) saying Merchan won’t jail Trump for gag order violations and then (b) _explaining their reasoning_. I’ve run out of time this morning to dig around. I’ll keep my ears open. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1863 "2024-04-19T15:42:51Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > (1) Fines limited to $1,000 You just need to get creative in how you count. If I were to go up to 5 different people on the street, and repeat something that violates my gag order, that could be counted as 5 violation, so a total fine of $5000. Why would it be different if I tweeted out my violation, and the tweet was read by 5 different people? So count each read of his tweets as a separate violation. You’d be into the millions of dollars of fines level within days, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1864 "2024-04-19T15:49:33Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > I just don’t understand why that’s not an option for the judge when dealing with an incorrigible defendant. What bad thing would happen? MAGA nation outrage? An appeal because the judge is interfering with his political campaign due to his outbursts aimed at the judge/jury/whoever, therefore he can’t be impartial? (This is mainly pulled out of my ear, but I could see it floated, even if unsuccessfully). “It’s political!” ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1865 "2024-04-19T15:49:35Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > > … > > The problem though, is one of enforcement and discipline. All that the law allows the judge to do is either, A, impose fines, but under the New York law that the DA cited, only a maximum of $1,000 per incident. That’s not going to matter to Donald Trump. **And then the other option is to lock him up, which I think is very unrealistic. And I just don’t think is realistically in play here**. [quoting CNN commentator, not **bordelond** directly] This is a very reasonable statement _today_. It’s totally unrealistic that the outcome of the hearing next week will be Trump going to jail. But if it is clear that Trump doesn’t care about the fines and continues to flout the judge’s orders, the jail scenario suddenly becomes much more realistic. I don’t know if the commentator was specifically speaking about the current hearing, or if they truly think incarceration is permanently off the table. If the latter, I think they are very wrong. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1866 "2024-04-19T15:54:05Z")
> [@CoolHandCox](#): > > On another note, I don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but both sides get there “no questions asked” strikes reset for the alternates so today might not go so fast. Not exactly reset. They get two additional strikes each. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1867 "2024-04-19T15:58:09Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I don’t know if the commentator was specifically speaking about the current hearing, or if they truly think incarceration is permanently off the table. If the latter, I think they are very wrong . I get the impression that when Hoenig and others have said (paraphrased) that “_Merchan won’t jail Trump for gag order violations_”, they mean that they simply can’t fathom it happening. I think if they were pressed to explain what formed that opinion, they’d be able to offer _something_ … but struggle to come up with something truly airtight. Posters in this thread have some up with reasonable and plausible explanations for a general reticence to jail Trump for gag order violations: PITA Secret Service/jailing logistics. Avoiding certain avenues of appeal. Political considerations such as martyrdom. And so on. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1868 "2024-04-19T15:59:09Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > He might even get SCOTUS to quickly agree, creating a mess Merchan will want to avoid. That sounds like fantasy; SCOTUS doesn’t quickly do _anything_. I especially doubt they’d get involved in something as petty as Trump’s whims. “But Trump wants it” isn’t persuasive outside of the MAGA deplorables. I don’t think this is a point worth worrying about. If Trump needs to be locked up in some way, they’ll arrange something. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1869 "2024-04-19T16:06:31Z")
New thread, so as to not hijack this one: > [@Trump, potential incarceration, and Secret Service protection](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-potential-incarceration-and-secret-service-protection/1000506): > > This keeps coming up in other threads, but I don’t want to carry them onto hijacks. With Trump’s various legal issues, the possibility exists that, at some point, he might find himself locked up in jail and/or prison. It’s often claimed that this would be problematic due to his Secret Service protection. But why? They just have to keep him safe. They don’t have to keep him free. And it’s a lot easier to keep someone safe in a jail or prison than in, say, a hotel room. I mean, sure, there … ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1870 "2024-04-19T16:13:18Z")
Thank you so much! ---
**Author:** ![CoolHandCox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coolhandcox/32/16233_2.png) [@CoolHandCox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CoolHandCox)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1871 "2024-04-19T16:31:19Z")
In case you are wondering where you’re getting your news about what’s going on, per NYT: > Because technology use is limited — and phone calls are strictly prohibited in the hallways and courtrooms — reporters who need to make phone calls have resorted to using the 15th floor bathrooms. They’re using them to relay information to their editors and, in one case this morning, **to patch into a live radio hit from inside a [bathroom] stall**. The reporter did not convey on live air that he was inside the men’s lavatory, instead conducting himself with aplomb. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1872 "2024-04-19T16:55:34Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > I’m striking out so far in finding someone both (a) saying Merchan won’t jail Trump for gag order violations and then (b) _explaining their reasoning_. I’ve run out of time this morning to dig around. I’ll keep my ears open. Thanks much for the effort! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1873 "2024-04-19T17:02:31Z")
I think the first judge to jail Trump is in very real danger from the MAGAmob. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1874 "2024-04-19T17:22:21Z")
We’re up to four alternates now. Just two more to go. Likely a lunch break in New York right now, but if we keep going at this pace, we should have a full slate by the end of today. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1875 "2024-04-19T17:23:03Z")
We now have four total alternates and need two more. A couple have been dismissed for cause and I don’t believe any peremptory challenges have been used. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1876 "2024-04-19T17:31:37Z")
Per CNN: We’re now up to five alternates. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1877 "2024-04-19T17:33:29Z")
And now we are full. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1878 "2024-04-19T17:33:32Z")
Just in: The sixth alternate has been selected. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1879 "2024-04-19T17:34:23Z")
The whole selection process went much faster than I expected. This bodes well. I imagine Trump is going to be furious at his lawyers for failing to delay. I wonder if the next step is the firing of the entire Trump legal team. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/1880 "2024-04-19T17:36:14Z")
5 women and 1 man as the alternates. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953.md?page=93) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953.md?page=95)