‘They are effectively over:’ Legal Eagle talks about why Donald Trump would never face jail time

Attorney Devin Stone, best known as LegalEagle on YouTube, believes that Donald Trump will never face jail time in light of his victory in the 2024 presidential election.

In his latest video titled, “Trump is Never Going to Jail,” Stone analyzes why Trump isn’t going to be held accountable for his felonies or current legal cases. He prefaces his analysis by stating, “Not to bury the lead, but they’re effectively over.”

Simply put, Trump will have presidential immunity. Stone explained that the president is immune from civil suits for actions taken as part of their official duties.

A thing to consider is that Trump is a first-time offender for Class E Felonies. Stone reasoned that in some cases, offenders may get probations instead of incarcerations. While Trump could be sentenced to prison before 2025, Stone says this is unlikely.

This claim was corroborated by New York criminal lawyer and former federal prosecutor, Mitchell Epner. Trump could easily appeal his sentence, or a retrial could occur. The indictment could also be deemed defective because of evidence that can’t be used. Even if attorneys in New York file a new indictment, the statute of limitations over events in 2016 would have already expired.

Simply put, there’s no legal miracle that would remove Trump from the Oval Office. Trump can stall ongoing cases or use presidential immunity to his advantage. In many ways, Trump’s presidential victory is a win for himself against his costly and damning legal battles.

Trump to fire Special Counsel Jack Smith

Attorney Jack Smith, who oversaw Trump’s criminal investigation on January 6th, is about to resign. Trump mentioned that he would immediately fire Smith if he won the presidential election. Stone believes that the best scenario is that Trump’s case would either be dismissed without prejudice or the case is indefinitely stayed. Neither option is likely to hold Trump legally accountable.

Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com

Author

Close

Vanessa Esguerra

Vanessa Esguerra (She/They) has been a Contributing Writer for The Mary Sue since 2023. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy, she (happily) rejected law school in 2021 and has been a full-time content writer since. Vanessa is currently taking her Master's degree in Japanese Studies in hopes of deepening her understanding of the country's media culture in relation to pop culture, women, and queer people like herself. She speaks three languages but still manages to get lost in the subways of Tokyo with her clunky Japanese. Fueled by iced coffee brewed from local cafés in Metro Manila, she also regularly covers anime and video games while queuing for her next match in League of Legends.

linkedin