Can Trump run for president as a convicted felon?

Thirty-four charges, an often-infuriated judge and witnesses arriving one after the other.

After two days of deliberations, 12 New Yorkers voted to convict Donald Trump on all charges in the hush money case.

It's a history-making verdict following a history-making trial: Trump is now the first former U.S. president with a criminal conviction and the first major party candidate to run for the White House as a felon.

Here are some important issues to consider:

Yes. The U.S. Constitution has relatively few eligibility requirements for presidential candidates: they must be over 35, a “natural-born” U.S. citizen, and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years. There are no rules blocking candidates with criminal convictions.

Trump has been out on bail throughout his trial and that remained the case after the verdict was read on Thursday, with the Republican released on his own recognizance.

He is scheduled to appear in court again on July 11, when Judge Juan Merchan will set a sentencing hearing.

The judge will take several factors into consideration when deciding on the sentence, including Trump's age.

Sentences could include fines, probation, supervision or even prison time.

Trump, who called the verdict a “disgrace,” is likely to appeal the conviction, but the appeals process could take months or longer.

His legal team will face a hearing before the Appellate Division in Manhattan and possibly the Circuit Court of Appeals.

This means that Trump is expected to remain free on bail pending his appeal, making it highly unlikely that he will leave the courtroom in handcuffs after the verdict.

One reason could be the evidence from Stormy Daniels, the adult film star whose sexual relationship with Trump was at the center of the affair.

“The level of detail provided [by Ms Daniels] “It's not really necessary to the story,” said Anna Kominsky, a professor at New York Law School.

“On the one hand, her detailed testimony lends her credibility and as a prosecutor you want to provide enough detail so that the jury will believe what she says. On the other hand, there's a line where it becomes irrelevant and potentially creates prejudice.”

Trump's legal team twice sought to have the trial miscarried while Daniels was testifying, but the judge rejected the request.

Additionally, the district attorney's novel legal strategy in the case could also provide grounds for an appeal.

In New York state, falsifying business records can be a low-level misdemeanor, but Trump was charged with a higher felony, considered a second offense, for his alleged illegal efforts to influence the 2016 election.

Prosecutors broadly argued that federal and state election law violations and tax evasion apply to the case, but did not tell jurors specifically which laws were broken.

Legal experts say there are questions about the scope and application of federal law that could be grounds for appeal. A state prosecutor has never before cited an uncharged federal crime, and there are questions about whether the Manhattan district attorney's office had the authority to do so.

The chances of Trump going to prison are extremely slim, but it is possible.

All 34 charges against him are Class E felonies in New York, the state's lowest level of criminal misconduct. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

As noted above, there are several reasons why Judge Marchan could choose a lighter sentence, including Trump’s age, his lack of a criminal record, and the fact that the charges involve non-violent crimes.

He may take into account that Trump violated a court gag order during the trial.

It's possible that a judge may consider the unprecedented nature of the case and choose not to jail the former president and current presidential candidate.

There's also the question of feasibility: Trump, like every president, is entitled to lifelong Secret Service protection, which means several agents would need to guard him behind bars.

Still, running a prison with a former president as an inmate would be extremely difficult, and keeping him safe would involve significant security risks and expense.

“Prison systems are concerned about two things: the safety of their facilities and cutting costs,” said Justin Paperney, director of prison consulting firm White Collar Advice.

With Trump, he said, “it would be a bizarre show … no prison warden would allow it.”

President Trump could potentially vote this fall.

Under Florida law, where Trump lives, a person with a felony conviction in another state is ineligible to vote only “if the conviction disqualifies the person from voting in the state in which the conviction was committed.”

Trump was convicted in New York state, where felons are allowed to vote unless they are currently incarcerated.

This means that as long as Trump is not in prison on November 5, he should be eligible to vote.

No. The president can grant pardons to those who have violated federal law. The New York hush money case is a state matter, meaning it would be beyond Trump's reach if he were to become president again.

The same is true of Trump's case in Georgia, where he is accused of conspiring to overturn the election results in the state, which he narrowly lost to President Joe Biden in 2020. The case is currently pending appeals.

The pardon power is unclear in two of Trump's federal cases, one related to alleged mishandling of classified documents and the other related to conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The first case was postponed indefinitely by a Florida judge appointed by Trump, who said it would be “impolite” to set a trial date before questions about the evidence are resolved, and the second federal case has also been delayed pending Trump's appeal.

Neither is likely to happen before the November election, but if they do, constitutional scholars are divided over whether the presidential pardon power extends to the president himself. Trump could be the first to attempt a pardon.

Madeline Halpert and Kayla Epstein report