If and when Donald Trump decides to appeal his criminal conviction, oral arguments will likely be heard first by a midlevel appeals court panel comprised of five African American women.
Another possibility is that he could appeal directly to the Court of Appeals, which usually only happens in extreme circumstances.
The historic court makeup was announced in February of 2024 during Black History Month.
In its 130-year history, the Appellate Division, First Department, the prestigious, Manhattan-based midlevel appeals court, has never held oral arguments before an all-African American bench.
That streak was broken this year on Valentine’s Day, when Presiding Justice Dianne T. Renwick and Associate Justices Troy K. Webber, Tanya R. Kennedy, Bahaati Pitt-Burke and Marsha D. Michael took the bench at the First Department’s courthouse on Manhattan’s Madison Square Park.
The five-judge panel heard arguments in appeals for a host of civil matters, including a fraud lawsuit involving the Stardust Diner in Manhattan, which is famous for its show tune-singing wait staff; and a suit that former Fox News anchor Andrea Tantaros filed against her ghostwriter.
Reminder that Hillary Clinton – who won the popular vote and should have been the first woman President – was one of millions of victims of Donald Trump’s plot to steal an election. pic.twitter.com/2uDSKbVYcJ
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) May 31, 2024