BLUE PRESS JOURNAL – In a stinging legal defeat for Donald Trump, a federal appeals court on Monday upheld nearly $1 million in sanctions against the former president and his lawyer, Alina Habba, for filing a lawsuit that it deemed a frivolous and politically motivated abuse of the judicial system.
The original suit, which ballooned to 193 pages, alleged a vast conspiracy to undermine Trump’s 2016 campaign with false Russia collusion claims. It was dismissed last year by a district court judge as a “political manifesto” lacking any legal merit.
In its 36-page decision, the three-judge appellate panel found that the lawsuit was built on “tenuous links” and recycled debunked conspiracy theories. The court heavily criticized the lack of legal diligence, quoting the lower court’s finding that the complaint “advanced legal theories foreclosed by precedent ‘that the most basic legal research would have revealed.’”
The appeals court was particularly critical of the fact that Trump and Habba abandoned the majority of their own arguments when appealing the sanctions.
“Trump leaves all these frivolous claims behind, making a total of 11 of his 16 claims he does not appeal,” the court wrote. “Trump and Habba give us no reason to reverse the district court’s ruling that these claims were frivolous.”
The decision solidifies a significant financial penalty aimed at deterring the use of courts for political retribution. It marks a legal setback for Trump and highlights the unprofessional and meritless tactics of his team, condemned by two levels of the federal judiciary. The ruling serves as a warning to those who might weaponize the legal system for political grievances.
Blue Press Journal 