The Supreme Court on Monday denied President Donald Trump’s request to reconsider its rejection of his appeal in writer E. Jean Carroll’s $5 million defamation lawsuit, effectively closing the door on his legal challenge.
The new order, issued without comment and with no noted dissents, comes after the high court declined in June to take up Trump’s argument in the case. Rehearings at the Supreme Court are exceedingly rare, with court rules allowing them only under substantial “intervening circumstances,” according to The Hill, which first reported the latest development.
Trump had sought to revisit the appellate stage of Carroll’s first defamation lawsuit against him, in which a jury awarded her $5 million. Those funds have already been transferred to Carroll’s law firm, as noted in the source report.
Background of the Case
The case stems from Carroll’s accusations that Trump sexually assaulted her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the early 1990s, allegations Trump has repeatedly denied. In 2024, in a separate defamation suit, a jury awarded Carroll $83 million in damages after she argued Trump defamed her with statements he made while refuting her claims.
That second case, which has raised complex legal questions about statements made by Trump during his presidency, remains pending and is proceeding on a slower timeline. According to The Hill, the Justice Department has sought to invoke the Westfall Act, a 1988 law that allows the DOJ to substitute itself as the defendant when a lawsuit involves actions taken by a federal employee within the scope of their job.
Trump has previously tried to substitute the United States as a defendant and to raise a claim of presidential immunity in the cases, but those efforts have been unsuccessful, per ABC News reporting referenced in the source.
Carroll’s Attorney Responds
Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, released a statement after Monday’s order, saying: “We are pleased that the United States Supreme Court has declined again to hear this case. As a result, the jury’s unanimous verdict that Donald Trump sexually assaulted and then defamed E. Jean Carroll is now final and cannot be challenged in any court.”
The Supreme Court’s decision marks the end of the road for Trump’s appeal in the first defamation case, solidifying the financial judgment against him. Legal experts note that the rejection of a rehearing petition, while rare, is not unexpected given the court’s earlier refusal to take up the case.
The pending second defamation case, however, continues to move through the courts, with the DOJ’s attempt to invoke the Westfall Act still unresolved. That case could have broader implications for how courts handle defamation claims against presidents for statements made in an official capacity.
Trump has maintained his innocence throughout, denying both the assault allegations and the defamation claims. The legal battles have become a recurring feature of his post-presidency and now presidential campaign, with the court decisions repeatedly going against him.
As of now, no further appeals are available to Trump in the $5 million case, and the verdict stands. The Supreme Court’s one-sentence order, issued without explanation, leaves little room for further legal maneuvering on this front.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/08/17/supreme-court-denies-trump-request-reconsider-appeal-e-jean-carroll-lawsuit/