The Supreme Court on June 29 turned down an appeal from President Donald Trump in the case involving magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll.
At least six of the nine justices declined to take up the appeal of the finding that Trump sexually abused the writer.
The vote count and how each justice voted were not disclosed, and justices did not offer any explanation for the rejection of the appeal.
Lawyers for Trump and Carroll did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Jurors in 2023 found Trump liable for battery against Carroll, who alleged Trump sexually abused her in the dressing room of a department store in Manhattan in the 1990s. They also concluded that Trump defamed Carroll while denying the incident.
A federal appeals court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in 2025 upheld the ruling, finding that the judge who oversaw the trial and the jury acted reasonably.
The Second Circuit in April turned down an attempt by Trump to have the appeal reconsidered by the full court.
In a filing to the Supreme Court, lawyers for Trump said that Carroll’s allegations were “implausible” and “politically motivated,” with no corroboration by evidence such as video footage. Jurors only ruled in her favor, they said, after the judge overseeing the trial allowed the admission of “highly inflammatory propensity evidence” against Trump, including testimony about other unverified allegations.
Carroll’s legal representatives, in a brief, highlighted how the appeals court found the judge did not commit any error that affected Trump’s rights, so there is no basis for disturbing the judgement against him.
