You wouldn't think it would be possible, eh? I have no idea how the panel of state Appellate Division judges were induced to respond to this. As you mentioned, something to do with the rules for the wealthy.

Yes, I believe you're right and yet I keep hoping beyond reason that somehow we'll be able to overcome them. It's just so hard to battle people who don't play fair.

@Lauren I believe it's going to be a long slog to take back our courts, and find a way to get all the horrible and unqualified judges Moscow Mitch and trump put on our courts. I do believe there are still people in our DOJ, FBI, CIA, etc. that are helping trump. It is unbelievable how corrupt the courts have become. I'm not ready to give up though. I am staying engaged and writing letters, and protesting when necessary.

@Redheadedgammy Thank you for that, and for your optimism. Truly McConnell should take major blame - he laid the groundwork to conjure dump and then lost control of him.

@Lauren You are 100% correct about Mitch!!

Yeah. I wish it was shocking, but we're really not surprised.

Please site your source for NY losing business. The decision was a month ago, there have been no statistics that have posted and no major announcements of departures.

@glennlab My logical brain is my source. What other reason to lower the largest bond in history? Does it benefit the prosecution? No. Does it benefit the democratic party? No. Does it benefit the state of NY? Yes in terms of PR. A giveaway was the Mayor coming out soon after judgement assuring businesses it was a one off decision.

Prosecution should not complain as this will help them now. The appeal. The prosecution never expected Trump could come up with a cash/ liquid bond. so never planned on defending their prosecution in an appeal.
You see, Trump will be arguing he was specifically targeted so as to bankrupt and sabotage his election campaign. This lowering of the bond now, knowing the appeal will happen, allows the courts to say "He wasn't being treated unfairly by the courts at least. Look! We even lowered his bond". The DA, that's a different story.

Now if Ms James got her way and started seizing assets, not a good look and if you think that visual would have made NY more attractive to rich investors...............

In a Capitalist world, it always comes back to money, 99.999999999% of the time anyway. The reason Trump is hated, he disrupts the money flow unlike Biden. $$$$$$$$$$$$
The appeal will lower the fine anyway.

@puff The real money in New York does not believe that Trump was treated unfairly. They don't trust him and that is evident in that NO ONE would insure his bond, one that is not even a third of the highest that has been insured $1.5B. You are simply guessing and need to be clear that it is your opinion and NOT fact as your OP leads to believe. Trump was not treated unfairly by the courts, if anyone else had committed the magnitude of financial fraud that he committed, they would have been criminally charged (Mike Milcan, Bernie Madoff). The prosecution was not political since the investigation started before his first run for the presidency and took so long that the statute of limitations ran out on his daughter since she had been out of the business for more than 5 years.

@glennlab It wasn't a post it was a comment.
What is your opinion then on why the bond was lowered? Some Trump conspiracy he was able to influence the court to do it? A legal reason? There must be a reason and that reason is the visuals of Trump's assets being seized would have been bad for NY thus hurting them financially.
I can think of no other reason. So what are your thoughts?

@puff Since the judges offered to explanation for their actions, and they are appointed, I don't have a clue and neither do you being 12,000 miles away depending on filter news. DJT moved to FL because he was so hated in New York. He could not carry his home state, which is unheard of in US presidential politics. The judges do not have to fund any political campaigns, . The assets would have stayed in NY and not had an absentee landlord with a long history of racial discrimination. Tish James could have started seizing assets as soon as the judgement was perfected. Instead she gave him a grace period of 30 days a very business friendly move. Judgements of this size are not uncommon and bond reductions of this size are not either, seldom does the court of appeals give a reason.

@glennlab My instinct still thinks the game of Capitalism was involved. The share float price dropped straight away as there was a fear Trump may be allowed to cash out a goodly percentage.eg people lose money. I'm sure many people whispered in others ears, on and on, until some suggested to the appeals board/ judge that the immediate seizure of assets at this time would cause more harm than good financially to NY. No sole reason, but a major factor.

@puff His price per share dropped because of the financial BS he has pulled in the past. While his last IPO lost shareholders money( $119M in one year) he continued to draw a salary of $5M. It never got out of the hole and had to declare bankruptcy.
By law Trump could not sell his shares for 6 months. What happened was that money investors looked at the real numbers and found that Truth Social had fewer hits than many U tube channels when you compared Utube at 2 days to Truth at 7 days. It is a bad investment with very little value, few advertisers and a toxic main draw. The IPO had already drawn SEC scrutiny, the PE was was out of line, there was no there there.
His attempt to cheat the originators of the site drew a lawsuit which could bust any trades made at the IPO. This is one time where his delay tactics will cost him much more than he will make.

@glennlab Who is "the real money"?

@Alienbeing The money managers that handle billions to trillions of dollars in investments almost daily.

@glennlab I was not aware you had insider knowledge of what causes money managers to function as they do.

I can't find an argument to that as it certainly seems so - at least in this country.

Yeah. But I can't help hoping because the the reality is going to be so much harsher than I can imagine.

And just to be clear: I have a pretty fucking good imagination.