Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 counts in his hush money criminal trial, but what happens now?
The case marks the first time a former U.S. president has been tried and convicted of a criminal offense and the first of President Trump's four-count indictment to go to trial.
But would a guilty verdict mean he can't run for president? What would happen to the vote? And when would he be sentenced?
Here's what you need to know:
What was Trump convicted of?
Prosecutors have accused Trump of falsifying company records to hide hush money payments related to a scheme to cover up allegations that may have cost him the 2016 presidential election.
The allegations center around a $130,000 hush money paid to Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to cover the payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in exchange for not publicly disclosing allegations that she had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006.
Prosecutors said the refunds were falsely recorded as “legal expenses” to conceal the true nature of the transactions.
Trump's charges carry a maximum sentence of four years in prison. He has denied any wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty.
When will President Trump be sentenced and how long will he serve?
Judge Juan Marchan, who is presiding over the case, has set the sentence for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The charge of falsifying business records carries a maximum prison sentence of four years, but prosecutors have not said whether they intend to seek a prison sentence, and it is unclear whether the judge, who warned of prison terms for violating the gag order at the start of the trial, would impose that penalty if sought.
What just happened?
Trump is expected to appeal the sentence quickly, which would make him face a tricky situation as he tries to return to the campaign trail after being convicted. No campaign rallies are scheduled for now, but he is scheduled to hold a fundraiser next week.
Can Trump still run for president?
The answer is simply “yes.”
Convicted or incarcerated felons can not only run for president and other federal office, but can also be elected.
The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly prohibit a presidential candidate from running for office while he or she is currently under indictment or serving time in prison.
The only eligibility requirements for the presidency are that one be at least 35 years old, be a natural-born U.S. citizen, and have resided in the U.S. for at least 14 years.
So having a criminal record, wearing an orange jumpsuit, and being behind bars doesn't necessarily bar you from becoming president. It's the voters who have the power to do that.
What about voting?
Donald Trump is a convicted felon and lives in Florida, a state notorious for restricting felons' voting rights, but he can still vote in New York state unless he serves time in a prison.
That's because Florida follows other states in disenfranchising residents who have been convicted of felonies outside the state. In Trump's case, New York law only strips him of his voting rights while he's incarcerated. A law passed by the state Democratic Assembly in 2021 automatically restores voting rights once he's released from prison, even if he's on parole.
“If a Floridian's voting rights are restored in the state where they were convicted, they are restored under Florida law,” Blair Bowie of the Campaign Law Center said in a post explaining Florida law, noting that people without Trump's legal resources often get confused by Florida's complex rules.
In Illinois, the rules are different.
In Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, “currently, you lose the right to vote only if you are incarcerated for a criminal conviction (misdemeanor or felony),” according to the Justice Department.
“If you lose your right to vote as a result of a criminal conviction, you may register to vote immediately upon release. Pretrial detention, probation, or parole do not limit your right to vote,” the government said.
What was the reaction?
After the verdict, Trump said, “The real verdict will be made by the American people on November 5th. The American people know what happened here, everybody knows it. I am completely innocent.”
President Joe Biden's campaign said Thursday that former President Donald Trump's conviction shows “no one is above the law” but sought to maintain focus on the November election.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said “justice has been served.”
“After facing a jury of his peers, Donald Trump has been exposed as a liar and a fraud. Trump evaded the law to deceive voters, and today the law caught up with him,” Pritzker said.
Meanwhile, the Illinois Republican Party called it “a political prosecution of the kind that happens in banana republics but has never been seen in the United States.”
