Supreme Court Shuts Down Trump's One Last Effort to Keep His Financial Records From Prosecutors

Since his first presidential campaign launched in 2015, former President Donald Trump has worked tirelessly to keep his financial records concealed from the public, breaking with every major presidential candidate since the 1970s.

New York County District Attorney Cy Vance has been a key figure in the pursuit of Trump's financial documents, initially seeking them as part of an investigation into hush money payments Trump allegedly paid with campaign funds.

Since a U.S. Court of Appeals sided with Vance in 2019, Trump's lawyers have bitterly fought the effort through the appeals system—until now.

Last July, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Vance, and on Monday, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that ruling by denying Trump a stay in the enforcement of their July ruling—striking down Trump's last line of defense to keep the financial records concealed.

The court conveyed its decision in a single sentence:

"The application for a stay presented to Justice Breyer and referred to the Court is denied."

Vance's statement, according to the New York Times, was even more brief:

"The work continues."

It's unclear just how far beyond the original hush money payments Vance's investigation has expanded, and the contents of Trump's financial documents will remain under grand jury secrecy rules, so it's still unclear when the public will be able to see the documents.

But if explosive reporting from the Times last year is any indication, the documents will further contradict the persona of a successful businessman Trump has carefully crafted over decades.

People weren't sympathetic.

To add insult to injury, the Supreme Court also denied the Pennsylvania GOP's lawsuit against the integrity of the state's 2020 election process—yet another refusal to entertain Trump's and the GOP's lies about the legitimacy of American elections.

It was a refreshing verdict for many.

A third of the Supreme Court was appointed by Trump.