The indictment of former President Donald Trump by a Manhattan grand jury will start a criminal procedure that will look similar to that of any other defendant while still being quite different.
When someone is indicted, the charges are frequently kept under seal until the defendant appears in court for the first time. The charges recommended by the grand jury against Trump are not yet public.
We contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney this evening to negotiate his surrender to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for arraignment on a Supreme Court indictment, which remains under secrecy.” When the arraignment date is set, guidance will be offered,” said a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in a statement.
The initial appearance
Initial appearances are usually held in public. In some circumstances, defendants or their attorneys make arrangements with law enforcement for self-surrender – or voluntarily handing themselves in.
Defendants are routinely booked and fingerprinted upon their initial appearance in court.
According to AWN, Trump’s attorneys were informed of the grand jury’s decision immediately after the indictment was made public.
Trump will most likely be allowed to turn himself in willingly, and the former president is expected to appear in court on Tuesday for his arraignment, according to various sources.
What happens during a first meeting can vary. If the first appearance also serves as an arraignment, a plea is likely to be entered. At a first appearance, release terms, such as travel limitations or home confinement, are usually considered, and defendants are told of their rights. At this point in the proceedings, the lawyers for the government and the defendant frequently enter their appearance.
Added safeguards
When a case is brought against Trump, he will have to go through the same procedures as any other defendant. Yet, his status as a former president campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 will definitely add to the security and practical problems surrounding the next steps in his case.
Whatever journey Trump needs to make for his arraignment must be arranged with the Secret Service and other law enforcement organisations.
Conversations between the Secret Service, the US Marshals Service, and the New York Police Department have already begun, according to a senior NYPD source.
Officers from the New York Police Department were instructed Thursday evening via internal memo that they should be in uniform and ready for deployment on Friday.