Donald Trump filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, October 9, 2026, seeking to revive a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic National Committee, and several other defendants. The petition asks the justices to vacate a lower court ruling that dismissed the case and imposed nearly $1 million in sanctions against Trump and his attorney. The lawsuit, originally filed in March 2022, alleges a coordinated scheme by the defendants to undermine Trump’s presidency through fabricated accusations of Russian collusion.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida dismissed the lawsuit in 2022, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit upheld that dismissal. District Judge Donald Middlebrooks ruled that the claims were filed too late and that many of the statements in question were protected by the First Amendment. Additionally, the judge ordered Trump and attorney Alina Habba to pay sanctions, stating that no reasonable lawyer would have filed the case. Chief Judge William Pryor of the 11th Circuit agreed, characterizing the claims as untimely and meritless.
In his appeal to the Supreme Court, Trump’s attorneys argue that he chose to wait until he was out of office to file the suit to avoid consuming the time and energy required by his public responsibilities. The petition asks the justices to decide if a president's unique duties warrant extending filing deadlines for private claims. Trump’s lawyer, Richard Klugh, told the court that the lower court's ruling wrongly forces presidents to choose between public duties and private claims and improperly sanctions lawyers for "reasonable constitutional advocacy."
The financial scale of the case involves nearly $1 million in court-ordered sanctions currently owed by Trump and attorney Alina Habba. For the defendants, a revival of the case would mean renewed legal costs and the potential for a trial regarding allegations of a conspiracy related to the 2016 election. For legal professionals, the outcome will clarify the standards under which a court can fine lawyers and their clients for making novel or unresolved constitutional arguments, a process known as sanctioning.
The Supreme Court is expected to decide whether to grant review of the petition sometime this winter. Hillary Clinton’s response is due 30 days after the petition is officially docketed, though she may request an extension. If the court declines to hear the case, the 11th Circuit’s dismissal and the $1 million sanctions order will remain final.
Next steps include the formal docketing of the petition, followed by the response from the defendants. The court has not yet set a specific date for its conference to vote on whether to hear the appeal. According to legal filings, the primary questions before the justices center on the intersection of presidential responsibilities and the right to pursue private civil racketeering claims.