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By James Bickerton
News Reporter
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Donald Trump became the first former president with a felony record in American history after he was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business documents to cover up the payment of hush money to a former pornographic actress ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
The presumptive 2024 Republican presidential candidate hit out at the verdict after it was announced on Thursday, branding the trial "rigged" and claiming it was overseen by "a conflicted judge who was corrupt."
Sentencing in the case is scheduled for July 11, just four days ahead of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Trump is expected to be formally confirmed as the GOP's 2024 presidential nominee. Trump faces a maximum of four years in prison and a $5,000 fine for each of the 34 felony charges he was convicted of.
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Trump is also due to face trial in three other felony cases related to accusations he mishandled classified documents and broke the law attempting to allegedly overturn the 2020 presidential election results both nationwide and in the state of Georgia specifically. He has pled not guilty to all charges and denies any wrongdoing.
Being a convicted felon, meaning someone who has been convicted of an offense that carries a maximum penalty of one year or more in prison, Trump has lost a number of rights that most Americans take for granted, whilst his ability to undertake other activities could be greatly impeded. A summary of these has been provided below. Newsweek reached out to Trump representatives for comment outside of usual business hours on Friday.
Owning a Firearm
The federal Gun Control Act makes it unlawful for anyone who has been "convicted in any court of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year" to possess firearms or ammunition.
However, the Shouse California Law Group notes that "that if you are convicted of a felony and remain otherwise law-abiding, you may eventually be able to restore your gun rights" by having the conviction expunged, reduced to a misdemeanor, asking for a pardon or asking the court for restoration.
Jury Duty
Under federal law, convicted felons are forbidden from serving on a jury, unless they receive a Certificate of Rehabilitation or are pardoned by the governor of the state in which they were convicted.
Employment
Whilst it is unlikely Trump is considering a radical career change, his felony conviction does mean that certain industries are effectively off limits to him.
According to Scranton-based law firm Mazzoni Valvano Szewczyk & Karam convicted felons are barred from obtaining a medical license, and are usually not allowed to work around minors of any age.
The law firm states: "Excluding volunteer work, emergency responders for hire do not hire ex-felons. These include first-aid providers, ambulance drivers, police officers, and firefighters.
"Airline pilots, train conductors, locomotive engineers, and certain trucking roles cannot hire ex-felons. This can be due to cross-state travel restrictions for felons, and felons being restricted from handling certain materials or weapons."
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Foreign Travel
A felony conviction can severely complicate foreign travel and mean you are refused entry to a number of countries.
According to the travel website VisaGuide.World, those with felony convictions are typically barred from entering countries including the United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, Japan, India, Israel, and China. However, if Trump is re-elected in November, it would be a huge step for any of these countries to block him from visiting as head of state based on his felony record.
Voting
Whilst he will face several other restrictions, Trump should still be able to vote in November unless he is being held in prison.
Under New York's voting rules, convicted felons are only barred from voting if they are in custody according to Forbes, meaning the conviction itself doesn't cost Trump his franchise.
The Florida Division of Elections website states Florida residents, which Trump has been since 2019, are only ineligible to vote in the state with a felony record if "the conviction would make the person ineligible to vote in the state where the person was convicted."
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