The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Michael Cohen’s final attempt to revive a civil rights lawsuit against former President Donald Trump. Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, had claimed that Trump and other officials violated his civil rights by placing him in solitary confinement in retaliation for writing a tell-all book about the former president.
Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 for campaign finance violations and lying to Congress, was released in 2020 as part of a broader effort to reduce prison populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, shortly after his release, Cohen was ordered back to prison when he refused to sign an agreement that would have prohibited him from posting on social media or speaking to the media, a condition tied to his ongoing book project.
Cohen spent 16 days in solitary confinement before a federal judge intervened, ruling that the government had retaliated against him for his planned book, which was critical of Trump. Following his release, Cohen filed a lawsuit claiming that his re-imprisonment was a violation of his civil rights, but the lawsuit was dismissed by lower courts. Cohen’s legal team took the case to the Supreme Court, which has now declined to hear it, effectively ending his pursuit of the claim.
This marks the latest legal battle in the ongoing saga between Cohen and Trump, whose relationship soured after Cohen cooperated with federal investigations into Trump’s activities. Cohen’s book, Disloyal, detailed his time working for Trump and included damaging allegations about the former president.
With the Supreme Court’s decision, Cohen’s legal avenues in this particular case appear to be exhausted, but the former attorney remains a vocal critic of Trump and continues to face legal and public scrutiny over his actions during Trump’s presidency.
