This is open to debate. I'm John Don Van. Hi everybody.

34 felony convictions. That is the criminal record that now belongs to a man who is running for president.

Donald Trump. At least now that record belongs to him because it could go away.

Like everybody, Trump has the right of appeal, the right to initiate a process to get those

convictions tossed out, and he is appealing this. Does he have grounds, strong grounds, or not so strong

or none at all? That's what we're asking in this episode about the law under the

flag of our mock trial series where we ask legal experts to take opposing sides

so that we can hear the arguments that a courtroom might hear in a case of public interest.

Just to be clear in this case the hush Money trial has concluded, but we are focusing on what is yet to come

Trump's appeal of his convictions.

Appeals are not decided by a jury, but by judges, a panel of three judges in this case and a quick reminder of what Trump was

found guilty of by the County of New York falsifying business records in the

first degree 34 times. What raised this to first degree 34 times.

What raised this to first degree status was the jury's determination

that the fraud was committed in pursuit of another crime

which was trying to influence the 2016 election with payments made by his one-time lawyer to an adult film performer to buy her silence about a sexual encounter.

Now I'd like to introduce our opposing counsel arguing that this conviction should be

thrown out. I want to say hello to Randy's Ellen. Randy is a career trial attorney with over 30 years

of experience in an appointment at Cornell Law School and taking the opposite side saying that the

conviction should stand Erwin-Chamarinsky a legal scholar and dean of UC

Berkeley's law school. Welcome to both of you to open to debate.

Hi thank you for having me.

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