Former President Donald Trump is making a renewed effort to pursue his racketeering lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and others.
According to Newsweek, Trump has been given until September 27 to file a brief of up to 10,000 words explaining why a federal appeals court should hear his case. This development comes after a lower court dismissed his original lawsuit in September 2022.
The case, filed in March 2022, accuses Clinton and over two dozen other defendants of conspiring to rig the 2016 presidential election against Trump. The former president is seeking more than $70 million in damages, claiming he had to spend over $24 million defending himself against false accusations of Russian collusion.
Florida Circuit Appeal Court judge Kevin Newsom has granted Trump's request to extend the maximum word limit for his court filing. The judge's order states:
Appellants' unopposed motion to exceed the word limitation in their consolidated reply brief and to enlarge the time to file that brief is GRANTED. The consolidated reply brief, which may not exceed 10,000 words, is due by September 27, 2024.
This extension allows Trump's legal team to present a more comprehensive argument for why the case should be heard. The increase from the standard 6,500-word limit to 10,000 words suggests the complexity of the issues at hand.
Trump's lawsuit, which falls under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, names several high-profile defendants alongside Clinton.
These include the Democratic National Committee, former FBI director James Comey, and Democratic congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
The lawsuit faced a significant setback in September 2022 when Florida federal judge Donald M. Middlebrooks dismissed the case. In his ruling, Judge Middlebrooks strongly criticized Trump's legal approach, stating, "Such pleadings waste judicial resources and are an unacceptable form of establishing a claim for relief."
The judge also accused Trump of attempting to use the court as a platform for political grievances, rather than presenting a legitimate legal claim. This dismissal is what Trump is now seeking to overturn through the appeals process.
With the September 27 deadline approaching, Trump's legal team is likely working diligently to prepare their arguments. The extended word limit suggests that they will present a detailed case for why the lawsuit should be allowed to proceed.
Once the brief is filed, the court will review the arguments and decide whether to hear the case. If the appeal is successful, it could potentially lead to a new trial or further legal proceedings against Clinton and the other defendants.
However, even if the appeal is granted, Trump would still face significant challenges in proving his allegations and securing the substantial damages he is seeking.
Former President Donald Trump is pursuing an appeal to revive his racketeering lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and others, alleging a conspiracy to undermine his 2016 presidential campaign. The case, previously dismissed by a lower court, seeks over $70 million in damages for alleged false accusations of Russian collusion. With a deadline of September 27 to file a 10,000-word brief, Trump's legal team is preparing to argue why the federal appeals court should hear the case, potentially setting a precedent for future political and electoral disputes.
