Donald Trump has
become the first former American president ever to be criminally charged. What
comes next for Mr Trump and his defence team?
The 76-year-old
pleaded not guilty in New York on Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying
business records.
The charges
relate to Mr Trump's involvement in hush money payments to former porn star
Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
There's no doubt
that if the case gets to trial, it will be watched worldwide. But the legal
process that lies ahead could last several months - and will certainly see Mr
Trump's lawyers fighting to get the case dropped.
Prosecutors hand over evidence
The office of
the Manhattan District Attorney has been investigating the Trump hush money
payments for five years.
With Mr Trump's
arraignment complete, prosecutors are now required to turn over evidence they
have gathered during their probe to his legal team - a standard process known
as "discovery".
Under recent
legal reforms in New York, discovery must be completed within the next 35 days.
Evidence will
include law enforcement interviews with, and witness testimony from, key
figures like Ms Daniels and Mr Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen.
It will also
comprise minutes from the grand jury convened earlier this year by District
Attorney Alvin Bragg to take a closer look at the allegations, as well as
records of communication between Mr Trump and others involved in the scheme.
Trump's lawyers try to get case
dismissed
Lawyers for Mr
Trump have vowed to challenge the charges against him within days, arguing that
the New York case is "ripe for motions".
Motions are
requests for the court to make a decision on a matter relating to a case before
a trial begins. If a party makes "a motion to dismiss", it is asking
the court to dismiss all or part of a case.
Defence lawyers
typically have 45 days after arraignment to make their motions, although Judge
Juan Merchan could grant them a little more time.
Attorney Joe
Tacopina told CNN on Sunday that the Trump legal team would "evaluate all
our legal options and pursue every one most vigorously".
"The team
will look at every, every potential issue that we will be able to challenge,
and we will challenge," he said. "And, of course, I very much
anticipate a motion to dismiss coming because there's no law that fits
this."
In addition to a
motion to dismiss, the Trump team has floated the possibility of a motion to
transfer venue - moving the trial from Manhattan to nearby Staten Island.
Mr Trump wrote
on social media that Manhattan "with some areas that voted 1%
Republican" is a "very unfair" place for him to face a trial.
But motions to transfer venue are rarely granted.
Trial of the century?
After his
various legal challenges play out, the People of New York v. Donald Trump may
become the trial of the century.
Defendants in
New York have a so-called "right to a speedy trial" - which means
that prosecutors must be ready to try the case within six months.
But it is
impossible to know how long it will take to address all the motions filed by Mr
Trump's lawyers, and if we will even see a trial when they have been resolved.
In the meantime,
Mr Trump could face criminal charges in at least two other cases, including a
special counsel probe into his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his
handling of classified information after leaving office.
But no laws
exist to prevent an indicted American from running for president, and the
Republican will likely continue building his third consecutive campaign for the
White House.
By Sam Cabral || BBC News, Washington
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