This could have been a year of a federal court reckoning for Trump. Judges had other ideas

A year that began with the prospect of a federal court reckoning for Trump will conclude without any chance at trial, leaving voters without an up-or-down jury verdict in the two most consequential cases against the Republican presidential nominee. Both cases, one charging him with hoarding classified documents and the other with plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election he lost. still loom over the race. Their potential resurgence makes clear that at stake in November’s vote is not only the presidency but potentially Trump’s liberty as he faces the prospect of years of court fights.