Diddy scores legal victory, Trump pardon not off table in sex crimes case: experts

Sean "Diddy" Combs wins expedited appeal in federal sex crimes case, with oral arguments set for April 2026 as legal experts suggest pardon from President Donald Trump is possible.

"Even though it’s just a win on procedure and not the merits, it’s an important first step for Diddy while he continues to lobby President Trump to commute his sentence."

"The expedited appeal is a procedural win for Diddy," Neama Rahmani, founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told Fox News Digital. "The Government didn’t oppose the request, which made it easier, but the Court of Appeal apparently agreed that the appeal would be moot if it went through the normal 12 to 18 month process, at least with respect to the sentence. There’s a chance that Diddy will be allowed to serve the end of his sentence in a halfway house or home confinement under the RDAP program after the appeal would normally have been decided."

"The sentencing argument that the judge shouldn’t have considered acquitted conduct is the best argument on appeal," the former federal prosecutor added. "It will be more difficult for Diddy to argue that the conviction should be reversed entirely because he didn’t participate in the sex acts, or they were pornography. Even though it’s just a win on procedure and not the merits, it’s an important first step for Diddy while he continues to lobby President Trump to commute his sentence."