A Federal jJdge is Allowing a Civil Suit brought against Trump (R) for His Actions on 1/6/2021 to Proceed in Court, a Victory for Democratic Lawmakers and Capitol Police Officers, who brought the Litigation. The late 3/31/2026 Ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta found that Trump’s Speech on the Ellipse that Day, was Not Covered by the Supreme Court’s Immunity Ruling, Determining it could Not be Considered a Core Presidential Act.
He also Determined the Phone Call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) asking Him to “Find” more Votes was Clearly an Enffort “to alter the outcome of Georgia’s election.”
The Ruling is Significant, Not only in that it Allows those Seeking to Hold Trump Accountable for 1/6/2021 to Continue the Fight, but because it shows the Limits of a 2024 Supreme Court Ruling that largely sided with Trump in Finding former Executives Immune for Actions they Carried-Out as Part of their Core White House Role.
Mehta found that Trump’s Speech near the Mall could Not be Considered an Official White House Act, because “nearly all the individuals who ran the nuts and bolts of the operation” were Campaign-Affiliated or Otherwise Linked to His Re-Election Efforts. “The court assesses whether he has carried his burden to show he is cloaked with official acts immunity for the Ellipse Speech. He has not,” Mehta wrote.
“President Trump does not dispute that he remained an office-seeker up to and on January 6. The President’s appearance at the Save America Rally, consistent with that status, involved almost no ‘trappings of an official function.’ No public funds were used to put on or promote the event. The White House did not tout the Ellipse Speech through its official website or social media channels beforehand, and it did not publish the President’s remarks afterwards. Nor did any executive branch agency. Further, the White House played no meaningful role in organizing or planning the Rally.”
Mehta was Critical of Trump’s Outreach to a Number of State and Local Officials after His 2020 Loss, including Figures in, Arizona, Georgia, and Michigan. While Trump’s Call to Michigan Lawmakers can be Covered by Pesidential Immunity, the Call to Raffensperger “can only reasonably be viewed as the act of an office-seeker,” Mehta found.
During that Call, Trump said, “So what are we going to do here folks? I only need 11,000 votes. . . . Give me a break. You know, we have that in spades already.”
“These are the words of an office-seeker imploring a state official to alter the outcome of Georgia’s election, not those of an incumbent President acting in his official capacity,” Mehta wrote. The Ruling did include some Wins for Trump, including Allowing Appeals on Various Matters to continue that are likely to Extend Litigation in the Case for some time.
The Decision came in a Case that Combines Seven earlier Suits from a Number of Parties, each Arguing Trump should be Held Liable for His Speech that Day.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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