The Supreme Court has postponed considering President Trump’s appeal in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case for the 15th time since February, according to Democracy Now! and CNN, extending a legal delay that has deferred a $5 million verdict against the president.
Trump filed his appeal in November 2025 after a federal jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll, a magazine columnist who alleged Trump assaulted her in a New York department store in the mid-1990s. The Supreme Court rescheduled the case repeatedly without explanation, most recently in late June, according to CNN.
The delay has effectively paused Carroll’s $5 million award, which a New York jury granted her more than three years ago. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict in December 2024, rejecting Trump’s arguments that the trial judge made errors in allowing testimony from two other women who alleged Trump had assaulted them, according to CNN.
Steve Vladeck, a constitutional law professor at Georgetown University, told CNN that the pattern is unusual. “The oddity here isn’t just that the court has rescheduled one of the Carroll cases 15 times, it’s the absence of a persuasive justification for it having done so,” Vladeck said. He suggested the most logical explanation is that the court is waiting for a second appeal from Trump in a related case, even though they involve different legal issues.
Two Separate Verdicts Complicate the Appeal
Trump faces two separate judgments from E. Jean Carroll. The $5 million verdict is at the Supreme Court now, but a second case resulted in an $83.3 million defamation judgment, according to CNN. Trump’s attorneys told the Supreme Court on June 2 that they intend to appeal the $83 million verdict “within the next month” and suggested the court “may wish to consider the petitions together,” CNN reported.
A federal appeals court upheld the $83 million judgment in September 2025, finding the damages “reasonable in light of the extraordinary and egregious facts” and rejecting Trump’s legal challenges, according to CNN. The Second Circuit also found that Trump had previously waived any claim of presidential immunity in the civil cases, and that the Supreme Court’s 2024 presidential immunity decision in a separate case did not alter their view.
Including interest, Trump owes Carroll over $100 million across both cases, according to CNN. A federal appeals court agreed in May 2026 to let Trump delay payment of the $83 million award while he pursues his appeal, provided he posts a $7.4 million bond, according to PBS.
The Supreme Court has not explained why it continues to reschedule the case. A court spokesperson did not respond to CNN‘s request for comment. Only one other case has been rescheduled as many times in the current term—a case involving a housing police officer in Ohio—according to CNN‘s analysis.
Sources
- Democracy Now! — Supreme Court postponement count and impact on $5 million verdict
- CNN — Trump’s appeal timeline, court rescheduling pattern, two separate verdicts, Vladeck analysis, and Second Circuit decisions
- PBS — Appeals court bond requirement for $83 million payment delay
