WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine issued a statement on today’s favorable federal court ruling in the lawsuit brought by the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland seeking to stop President Trump from violating the Constitution’s anti-corruption provisions. The United States District Court for the District of Maryland denied President Trump’s request to pause the case and allow a higher court to hear an appeal midstream, known as an “interlocutory appeal.” AG Racine’s statement on the court’s ruling is below.
“Today’s court ruling denies President Trump’s efforts to block our lawsuit. This is another major win for us in this historic case. Our next step is to proceed with discovery. We will soon provide the court a new schedule to begin the process of getting information about how President Trump is profiting from the presidency.”
In his ruling, Judge Peter J. Messitte denied President’s Trump’s motion to certify the case for interlocutory appeal, giving the green light for the case to proceed to the discovery phase. The Court asked the District and Maryland to submit a proposed discovery schedule within 20 days. The proposed discovery schedule must then be approved by the Court.
The Court’s opinion is available at: http://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2018-11/Opinion-on-Interloc-Appeal-and-Stay.pdf
The Court’s order is available at: http://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2018-11/Order-denying-Interloc-Appeal-and-Stay.pdf
On June 12, 2017, Attorney General Karl Racine and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh filed a federal lawsuit against President Trump alleging that President Trump is violating the Constitution’s Foreign and Domestic Emoluments Clauses by accepting payments from foreign and domestic governments through his businesses. In late March 2018, the lawsuit cleared an initial legal hurdle, when the United States District Court for the District of Maryland found the District and Maryland had legal standing to sue the president over the alleged violations. In July 2018, the Court agreed with the District and Maryland that an emolument encompasses any “profit,” “gain,” or “advantage,” including those from market-rate transactions and gave the green light for the case against President Trump to proceed. More information about the lawsuit, including a list of frequently asked questions, is available HERE.