Blanche: Trump administration may seek Supreme Court intervention in state voter rolls fight

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to assist President Donald Trump in overturning a $5 million jury verdict that found him guilty of sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll and subsequently defaming her. The Republican president's legal team had requested the justices to reassess their decision to decline hearing his appeal. The court dismissed Trump's petition along with several others.

It is rare, although not unprecedented, for the court to grant such requests. Following the court's refusal to hear his appeal in June, Trump compensated the judgment. Trump and the Justice Department are also seeking the high court to nullify a second Carroll verdict worth $83 million, arguing he is immune from lawsuits over his 2019 comments about her during his presidential tenure.

However, the court has not yet ruled on that appeal. Carroll is a long-standing advice columnist and former television talk show host. During a 2023 trial, she testified that Trump transformed a cordial 1990s encounter into a violent attack in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman, a high-end retailer located across the street from Trump Tower in Manhattan.

The jury ruled Trump liable for defaming Carroll when he denied her allegations in 2022. Trump categorically denies any wrongdoing. The Associated Press maintains a policy of not identifying individuals who have accused sexual assault unless they make a public statement, as Carroll has done.