A federal judge issued a mixed ruling Thursday, pausing seven civil lawsuits against President Donald J. Trump pending appeal but allowing limited pretrial discovery to continue in an expansive related case.
U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta granted stays in the vast majority of the consolidated cases stemming from the events of Jan. 6, 2021. However, in the largest lawsuit, Smith v. Trump, the judge ruled that while discovery is stayed against Trump himself, legal proceedings involving other defendants and third parties can move forward.
The decision follows a March 31, 2026, memorandum opinion in which Judge Mehta largely denied Trump’s motion for summary judgment regarding official-acts immunity. The court previously determined that Trump failed to prove his conduct up to and on Jan. 6 fell within the outer perimeter of his official presidential duties. Both Trump and the United States government appealed that immunity ruling and subsequently requested a total halt to all related consolidated proceedings.
In his 11-page order, Judge Mehta emphasized that although the eight cases were consolidated for administrative efficiency, they maintain their separate legal identities. Because Trump is the sole remaining defendant in six of the cases—Swalwell, Blassingame, Moore, Tabron, * Kirkland*, and Garza—the judge ruled those actions must be completely frozen while the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reviews the immunity questions.
“Because official-acts immunity is ‘an entitlement not to stand trial or face the other burdens of litigation,’ in those cases in which he is the sole defendant, the court must stay the proceedings in their entirety while he attempts to vindicate that right on appeal,” Judge Mehta wrote.
The court applied a different standard to Smith, a sprawling lawsuit involving seven plaintiffs and more than a dozen active defendants, including Trump’s 2020 campaign entities. Judge Mehta noted that merits discovery among the other parties has been ongoing for years without objection from Trump.
The defense argued that under the jurisdictional principle established in Griggs v. Provident Consumer Discount Co., an appeal divests the district court of control over the case. Trump’s counsel asserted that the conspiracy claims are too intertwined to separate and that allowing any discovery to proceed would force Trump to choose between risking prejudice or forsaking his immunity protections.
Judge Mehta rejected that argument for a total freeze, identifying multiple active disputes in the Smith case—such as a privilege battle over campaign communications and defense motions to lift defaults—that do not bear on official-acts immunity.
“There are readily segregable portions that can move forward without subjecting President Trump to the burdens of suit,” Mehta noted, adding that Trump retains the right to seek individual protective orders if specific depositions threaten to impair his legal standing.
Conversely, the court ordered a complete stay in Lee v. Trump, finding its scope significantly narrower than Smith. With only one other active defendant, Enrique Tarrio, remaining in Lee, the judge concluded that the limited discovery expected in that case cannot be reasonably separated from the immunity claims without risking the purpose of the appeal.
The court also denied a parallel motion for a stay filed by the United States. The government sought to pause the litigation following the court’s rejection of its request to substitute itself as the defendant for local law claims under the Westfall Act. Judge Mehta ruled the United States faces no irreparable harm because it will not be an active party in the Smith discovery process regardless of the appellate outcome.
A request by Trump and the United States to temporarily pause Thursday’s ruling pending further appellate review was immediately denied.
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