What will occur to Donald Trump’s 4 felony instances now he is been re-elected?

As Donald Trump celebrates a crushing victory in the presidential elections he is also in the unlikely position of facing four criminal court cases.

He has been found guilty in one – which also makes him the first convicted felon to become president – and is awaiting sentencing in New York on November 26.

And still faces three more – in Washington, DC, Florida and Georgia.

Here the MailOnline looks at what could happen in each of these cases now that Trump has been re-elected as US president.

Conviction in Stormy Daniels ‘hush money’ case in New York

Trump was dramatically found guilty on all counts in his historic criminal trial over the ‘hush money’ paid to Stormy Daniels in New York City in May.

The jury of seven men and five women at Manhattan Criminal Court deliberated for nearly 10 hours before convicting the former President of 34 charges of falsifying business records.

It was the first time a former U.S. President has faced a criminal trial. 

Trump is due to appear in court in New York on November 26 for sentencing, but the charges could be dismissed by Judge Juan Merchan if he decides to follow a Supreme Court ruling giving Trump partial presidential immunity.

The charges Trump was convicted of each carry a maximum potential sentence of up to four years in prison, but Merchan could also impose a lesser sentence on the president-elect like probation, home confinement, community service or even a fine. 

Merchan has given himself until November 12 to decide whether to drop Trump’s conviction altogether following the Supreme Court ruling. 

Trump’s lawyers are expected to ask for a delayed sentencing so they can appeal should Merchan decide to upkeep the conviction. 

If this should prove unsuccessful, they would likely go to state appellate courts to appeal the immunity decision, which would also delay Trump’s sentencing, possibly by several months. 

Trump’s lawyers are likely to use their appeals in the case to raise whether a state judge can even sentence a president-elect. This could see the case being fought out in courts for years.

But even once Trump is sworn in the office, he won’t have the power to pardon himself due to it being a state case.

Federal case in Washington, DC, over election fraud claims

Trump faces four charges in federal court in Washington accusing him of spreading false claims of election fraud to try to block the collection and certification of votes following the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Trump asked federal courts to grant him presidential immunity, which delayed the DC case for months, although the federal judge overseeing the case is still deciding how much Trump is actually covered by presidential immunity for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Since Trump will only be sworn into office on Inauguration Day on January 20, U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith has time to think about his next steps before Trump will likely follow through on his promise to fire Smith.

One question is whether Trump as president-elect would have the same legal protection against prosecution like a sitting president, which would be decided by the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.

Insiders told CNN that the guidance resulting from this would determine the next course of action. 

Federal case in Florida over January 6 attack on US Capitol 

Smith had also charged Trump with unlawfully holding onto classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after his first term ended in 2021 and obstructing efforts by the U.S. government to retrieve the records.

Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, dismissed all charges in July after finding that Smith was improperly appointed to the role and did not have the authority to bring the case.

The ruling brought an abrupt halt to the case, ensuring there would be no trial before the presidential election. 

Smith’s team is appealing the ruling, but Trump’s vow to fire Smith ‘within two seconds’ upon taking office likely signals the end of the case, as it would allow the Department of Justice to drop the charges.

Georgia election tampering case 

Prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia, last year used state racketeering laws – developed to fight organized crime – to charge Trump in an alleged conspiracy to reverse his defeat in the battleground state in the 2020 election.

Trump will not be able to end the prosecution, but his lawyer has already said in court he will seek to pause any activity related to Trump based on an argument that a president should not face the burden of a criminal prosecution while in office.

Trump and eight of his 14 co-defendants in the case are asking a Georgia appeals court to disqualify the lead prosecutor, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, over alleged misconduct stemming from a romantic relationship she had with a fellow prosecutor. 

Oral arguments are scheduled for December 5. The criminal charges against Trump are effectively on hold while the appeals court is considering whether to disqualify Wallis, which could take until 2025.

If that effort fails, the case will be able to proceed against the other co-defendants, who include Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and White House chief-of-staff Mark Meadows. 

But legal experts expect that the case against Trump will not progress while he remains in the White House and sources told CNN that even if Willis is removed, they believe it is unlikely another prosecutor would step in and take up the case.

Willis is now also facing a constitutional question over whether a state-level prosecutor can even prosecute a sitting president, which adds another legal roadblock for the success of the Georgia case. 

Civil cases

Trump is also facing several civil cases, which include two defamation E. Jean Carroll defamation suits and a civil fraud case.

The president-elect lost two defamation cases against E. Jean Carroll in 2023 and 2024, with Carroll being awarded $5million and $83million after a jury in federal court found him liable for sexually abusing and later defaming Carroll.

In September, Trump’s appeal for the first of the two defamation cases was heard in federal appeals court in September, but the court has not yet decided on the appeal.

Another case concerning a $454million fraud judgement against Trump was also heard in a state appeals court in September.

The civil case was brought by New York state Attorney General Letitia James. 

Trump has been trying to have the case dismissed after a judge found he, his two adult sons Don Jr. and Eric Trump and his company used an inflated value of Trump’s assets to get better rates for a loan and insurance.

The state appeals court judges appeared open to lowering the fine, but no decision has been announced yet.