Overview
- A 36-page opinion by Chief Judge William Pryor, joined by Judges Andrew Brasher and Embry Kidd, affirmed sanctions against President Trump and attorney Alina Habba for Rule 11 and inherent-authority violations.
- The court left in place the district court’s $937,989.39 joint-and-several penalty and its characterization of multiple claims as frivolous, including a malicious prosecution claim without a prosecution.
- Dismissal with prejudice was affirmed for most defendants, but the panel vacated as to one defendant and remanded with instructions to dismiss without prejudice for lack of jurisdiction.
- Requests by two defendants for additional appellate sanctions were denied after the panel found the appeal of the dismissal order was not frivolous.
- Trump’s 2022 racketeering-style complaint was previously labeled a shotgun, political manifesto by U.S. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks, who found the pleading failed to state cognizable claims.
- Habba now serves as New Jersey’s acting U.S. attorney under a disputed appointment that a federal judge has ruled unlawful, with further challenges ongoing.