What Trump's latest indictment means

That latest legal news an analysis from the Deadline: Legal team This is the latest edition of our pop-up Deadline: Legal newsletter. If you'd like to stay informed each week with latest analysis from the Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace legal reporting team, click here to continue receiving this special offering](. From the legal reporting team at Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace From the legal reporting team at Deadline: White House with Nicolle Wallace SPECIAL EDITION Sunday, June 11, 2023 Jordan Rubin: Trump faces federal charges he could wash away if re-elected Hello! And welcome to another edition of the Deadline: Legal newsletter. Wow, what a week! Donald Trump is indicted again, [this time federally](, marking another ignominious milestone for the former president and current 2024 candidate. The [38-count indictment]( against Trump and his aide Walt Nauta was unsealed Friday and charges the former president with, among other things, mishandling classified documents and obstructing justice. Notably, we finally heard from special counsel Jack Smith, who made [a short and sweet statement]( later Friday reaffirming his independence, his view of the seriousness of the case, and, perhaps most concerning for Trump, his desire for a speedy trial. How did we get here? Trump [might have avoided charges]( had he simply cooperated with the authorities. But as my colleague Hayes Brown [observed](, Trump didn’t learn his lesson after escaping liability so far from what’s amounted to a career of obstruction. And remember, just because Trump is charged with [violating the Espionage Act](, that doesn’t mean the government needs to prove he was spying for a foreign government (even if the indictment portrays him as displaying little regard for sensitive national security information). By the way, aren’t you curious why these charges came from Florida instead of Washington? If so, read [this piece]( from my colleague Lisa Rubin, who’s been in Miami keeping us posted on the fast-moving action there. So what does this new indictment mean for Trump? The charges may well be more serious than his hush money case in New York. But if you ask me, there isn’t much utility in ranking the criminal cases’ severity, an enterprise that might serve Trump more than anyone, lest his New York case be the only one left standing. Indeed, [it’s a real possibility]( that state charges – whether in New York, Georgia, or both – are all that’s left against Trump if he or another Republican takes the White House in 2024. Presidents can’t pardon state crimes. At any rate, my colleague Zeeshan Aleem [explains]( how it’s a mistake to put too much faith in the power of criminal charges to derail Trump’s presidential bid. The Supreme Court, meanwhile, surprised us all on Thursday in the highly anticipated Voting Rights Act case from Alabama. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion, which is [usually a bad sign for voting rights](. But he was joined by fellow Republican appointee [Brett Kavanaugh]( and the three Democratic appointees to rule against a GOP-backed congressional map that diluted Black voting power. “Make no mistake, this is big,” MSNBC columnist Jessica Levinson [wrote]( about the case with national implications for elections. To be sure, the court already did damage in this case on the shadow docket by [previously letting the map]( be used in the 2022 midterm elections, where Republicans barely won the House. And the 5-4 breakdown reinforces the stakes of every high-court appointment, as we [approach the 2024 presidential election]( that could determine the next set of Supreme Court seats. On a lighter note, in a trademark case, the [court sided with whiskey brand Jack Daniel’s]( against a dog toy company, holding that [the First Amendment didn’t protect]( chew toys resembling the brand’s iconic liquor bottle. Somehow, it wasn’t the only lighter trademark case making news at the court this week, with the justices taking up a new appeal for next term involving Trump’s … hand size. [Really](. And Justice Clarence Thomas somehow failed to meet the deadline for filing his annual financial disclosure, despite – or is it because of? – all the attention these days on his monetary entanglements. Alito also requested a filing extension. Perhaps the two GOP appointees were too busy dissenting from [pro-civil rights rulings](. Or maybe they were [jealous of the interesting gifts Jackson]( disclosed, which included flowers from Oprah. Trump indictment [Alternate text]   [An illustration of Trump looking through a doorway]( [ZEESHAN ALEEM]( [Trump has been indicted again. But there's only one thing that can keep him out of office.]( Placing any faith in these charges to definitively knock Trump out of politics is a bad idea. [Read more]( [A photo of Trump]( [ALEX WAGNER TONIGHT]( [The GOP's 'weaponization' script wears thin in defense of Trump]( Ari Melber talks with Alex Wagner about the limits to the Republican defense of Donald Trump that ignores the system of laws in the United States. [Watch]( [A photo of Jack Smith]( [CHARLIE DENT]( [Why Trump's schoolyard taunts hit differently with Jack Smith]( Special counsel Jack Smith has obtained a recording of Donald Trump discussing a classified document he kept after leaving office. [Read more]( [A photo of Rachel Maddow]( THE LAST WORD [Trump indicted: Rachel Maddow joins Lawrence O'Donnell to discuss charges]( The charges include a violation of the Espionage Act. [Watch]( [News quiz]( [Alternate text] [TAKE THE QUIZ]( More legal analysis [Alternate text] [A photo of Mike Pence]( JESSICA LEVINSON [Supreme Court issues shocking decision protecting voting rights in Alabama]( As Justice Elena Kagan noted in oral arguments, this case was "kind of a slam dunk." [Read more]( [A photo of Clarence Thomas]( [ALEX WAGNER TONIGHT]( [Most Supreme Court justices release financial disclosures; Thomas, Alito ask for more time]( All but two Supreme Court justices released their financial disclosures for 2022. [Watch]( [A photo of Ron DeSantis]( [JULIO RICARDO VARELA]( [Florida can't keep shipping migrants around the country without consequences]( Ron DeSantis admits to arranging the flights that carried migrants from Texas to Massachusetts and then from Texas to California [Read more]( [A photo of AJ Owens]( [THE REIDOUT]( [AJ Owens' best friend speaks out after shooting: 'She was everything that a friend could be']( The family of a woman who was shot by her neighbor wants the suspect's charges upgraded from manslaughter to second-degree murder. [Watch]( [A photo of police leading a handcuffed Susan-Louise-Lorincz]( [JA'HAN JONES]( [Florida sheriff tries to defend handling of AJ Owens' killing]( Sheriff Billy Woods addressed criticism about the delayed arrest of a white woman who is accused of shooting a Black neighbor through a door.Read more]( [A photo of Joe Biden]( [ALEX WAGNER TONIGHT]( [Why Biden's documents case is nothing like Trump's]( Republicans are putting forward their best efforts to equate the two. [Watch]( [A photo of LGBTQ rights advocates holding flags and marching]( [JESSICA LEVINSON]( [A Trump-appointed judge defied expectations — and drag queens are celebrating]( Sometimes a bill becomes law that no judge, regardless of their judicial philosophy, can think is constitutional. 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