Now that former President Donald Trump is a convicted felon he could lose some of his individual liberties, possibly including his ability to vote and own firearms.
Thursday afternoon in a New York courthouse, a 12-person jury found Trump guilty of 34 felonies related to falsifying hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.
The former president’s sentencing is expected to take place on July 11.
What happens at that hearing will be critical to what rights Trump will retain and what liberties he may be stripped of.
Former President Donald Trump walks to make comments to members of the media after a jury convicted him of felony crimes for falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election. As a felon, he could loses certain individual liberties depending on his sentence
In Florida, where Trump lives, it is notoriously difficult for felons to regain their voting rights.
But since the Sunshine State defers to other state’s disenfranchisement rules, Trump would be able to cast a ballot assuming he is not behind bars during election day, which is the New York rule Florida would enforce.
So, if Trump escapes jail time during his sentencing, he will be able to vote, likely for himself, in the November election.
Blair Bowie, an attorney working with the Campaign Legal Center, told NBC News ‘the only way he wouldn’t be able to vote is if he is in prison on Election Day.’
Still, Trump faces up to a maximum of four years in prison on each count, meaning he could be stripped of his ability to vote depending on if he is actually sentenced to prison.
Legal experts tell DailyMail.com that it is highly unlikely he will serve any jail time as a non-violent first offender.
Former President Donald Trump leaves the courtroom after getting convicted of 34 felony counts
The former president could lose his right to vote and own firearms if he is sentenced to more than a year of prison time at his July 11 sentencing
And Trump could appeal any decision to send him to prison until after the election, meaning he would not be in prison at the time of his and Biden’s presumptive rematch, therefore enabling him to vote.
Overall, the odds that Trump will not be able to vote in November are exceedingly slim, maybe close to zero.
Trump could also lose his right to bear arms.
According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), individuals ‘convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year,’ lose their ability to own guns.
So if Trump spends over a year behind bars, he can say goodbye to his Second Amendment rights.
The former president could also be barred from serving on a jury, though it would be highly unusual for him to sit on one in the first place.
According to Florida law, individuals convicted of a felony are not allowed to serve as jurors until their civil rights are restored.
However an individual’s civil rights can be restored ‘upon completion of all terms of sentence including parole or probation,’ meaning Trump could regain his right to sit on a jury if he wants.
An Anti-Trump protester reacts outside the courthouse after former US President Donald Trump was found guilty during his criminal trial
A Pro-Trump protester breaks down in tears outside the courthouse after former US President Donald Trump was found guilty
Felony convictions also restrict individuals from receiving security clearances, such as top secret authorization.
Although if Trump is elected president in November, even as a convicted felon, he would receive the highest level of clearance available despite his criminal record.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, former White House Director of Strategic Communications, called that fact ‘wild’ in a post on X Thursday.