The Guardian view on consequences for Trump: this beginning took bravery | Editorial

A jury verdict finding the former president liable for sexual abuse and lies won't fix US politics. But it still matters

A 79-year-old advice columnist - along with a handful of other brave women who testified in her case - has done what legal and political institutions have not yet managed: held the former president Donald Trump accountable in law for his actions, and for his lies.

In finding that he sexually abused E Jean Carroll in the 1990s, and subsequently defamed her, albeit not finding him liable for rape, the jury in her civil suit laid down an important marker.

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