The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected President Donald Trump’s request to revisit his dismissed lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and other figures connected to the Russia investigation, leaving in place nearly $1 million in sanctions against Trump and his former attorney Alina Habba.
Court Refuses Full Panel Review
The appellate court declined both a panel rehearing and a full en banc review of Trump’s case, which originally named Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, the Democratic National Committee, law firm Perkins Coie, research firm Fusion GPS, and former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele as defendants. Trump filed the lawsuit in March 2022 in federal court in Miami, seeking more than $24 million in triple damages for what he alleged was a coordinated scheme to fabricate the Russia collusion narrative during the 2016 presidential campaign.
SCOTUS would be next and last stop.
Clinton-Appointed Judge Dismissed Case
Judge Donald Middlebrooks, appointed by President Bill Clinton, dismissed the lawsuit and imposed sanctions on Trump and Habba. Trump’s legal team requested Judge Middlebrooks recuse himself in April 2022 due to his appointment by Hillary Clinton’s husband, but the judge refused. The dismissal came despite Trump’s claims that defendants manufactured the Russia investigation to damage his 2016 campaign and subsequent presidency. Clinton’s attorneys argued no reasonable attorney would have filed or continued prosecuting the suit after multiple defendants highlighted what they called fundamental defects in the case.
What This Means
The 11th Circuit’s denial represents the latest setback in Trump’s legal efforts to hold accountable those he believes orchestrated investigations into alleged Russian interference during his first term. The $1 million sanction now stands as a financial penalty for bringing what the court system deemed a meritless lawsuit. Trump has maintained the Russia investigation consumed years of his first presidency and represented unprecedented political targeting. The appellate court’s refusal to grant additional review effectively closes this avenue of legal recourse, though Trump could potentially seek further appeals through other channels.