The U.S. Supreme Court has once again declined to intervene in the legal battle between Donald Trump and writer E. Jean Carroll, effectively leaving in place a jury’s decision that found the former president liable for sexual assault and defamation. The high court offered no explanation for its refusal to hear the appeal, marking the second time they have turned away a challenge from Trump regarding the initial May 2023 verdict. This decision follows a previous rejection by the justices late last June.

The case stems from allegations made by the 82-year-old former journalist, who accused Trump of assaulting her in a Manhattan department store dressing room back in 1996. After Carroll detailed the encounter in a 2019 memoir, Trump publicly disparaged her as a "nut job" and insisted she was lying, leading to the defamation claims. Having already paid out $5.6 million following the first judgment, Trump now faces additional legal hurdles, including a separate $83.3 million penalty from a subsequent defamation trial, which he is also currently attempting to appeal.