During a historic arraignment hearing Tuesday in a Manhattan courtroom, Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, becoming the first former president to be charged with a crime.

Now, the legal proceedings continue as New York prosecutors set out to build a case and convince a jury that Trump committed these crimes. In turn, Trump and his legal team will have opportunities to persuade the judge and jury that he is innocent. It’s a process that could stretch out for months — or years.

Here is everything you need to know about what happens next in the legal process and what to expect along the way.

The arraignment happened — what’s next on the calendar?

At the arraignment hearing, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan told Trump and his lawyers that they have an Aug. 8 deadline to file motions. These could include a motion to dismiss the case or a request for it to be heard in front of a different judge. The state government then has until Sept. 19 to file responses to the motions.

In the meantime, the discovery process will begin.

What is the discovery process?

That’s when prosecutors hand over to the defendant — Trump — key evidence they collected during the investigation.

“It gives the defense team an opportunity to get a glimpse of the prosecutor’s case and what they will hear in court,” said Cheryl Bader, associate professor at the Fordham University School of Law. “This way they can prepare. It is very important to see what is coming at you from the prosecutors.”

But before they give anything to Trump, the prosecutors said they want to seek a protective order to prevent the former president from publicizing the potentially sensitive details in the case. Prosecutors cited fears that he would post the materials he receives during discovery to social media or leak them to the press. The judge said he hoped that prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers could work out a protective order together so he need only sign off on it.

Once that protective order is in place, prosecutors said they could start giving Trump materials on a rolling basis within a week. The first set of materials they plan to hand over would include grand jury minutes and witness statements. Next, within 65 days, the government will relinquish materials pertaining to subpoena compliance and police documents. In the last stage of the discovery process, prosecutors say they will give Trump and his legal team messages such as internal district attorney email messages.

Could anything public happen before August?

Yes, but don’t expect anything much sooner than that. In theory, Trump’s team could file all of its motions this week. But Trump’s attorney Joe Tacopina told The Washington Post that he didn’t anticipate anything being filed until July.

“Nothing is going to happen anytime soon,” Tacopina said. “I don’t think anything is happening anytime soon. Probably not till July. But that’s a really rough estimate.”

When will Trump appear in court again?

As of now, Merchan has set the next in-person court hearing for Dec. 4. That’s when the judge will rule on the motions that Trump’s team submitted.

Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche asked the judge at the arraignment if Trump’s physical presence for the December hearing could be waived because it would require complicated security logistics and would be “burdensome and expensive on the city.”

Merchan said that Trump would need to be present.

“Well, there is no question this was a huge undertaking today for everyone involved, from Mr. Trump, the prosecution, the city, courts — there is no question about that. At the same time, today is April 4th, and we are looking at the first adjournment in December. That is quite a ways out,” Merchan said. “You know, if a reason were to come up that your client was unable to appear on that date; something unanticipated, you can certainly run that by me. But in the same way I expect all other defendants to appear in court, even high-profile defendants — and I agree, we wish we could avoid all these logistical challenges — I think in the interest of transparency and assuring the rules of law evenhandedly, at this time I’m going to deny your application.”

Doesn’t that interfere with the 2024 election schedule?

It could. The first Republican debate of the primary season is scheduled for August — around the same time as the deadline for Trump’s legal team to submit its motions to the judge. There are also certain scenarios, according to legal experts, under which the proceedings could extend beyond the 2024 election. That would mean that Trump could be appearing in court and filing motions as he is in the thick of a presidential campaign.

No matter how this case unfolds, it will be an unprecedented situation: a former president seeking to retake the White House while fighting criminal charges.

Will the case go to trial?

If it is not dismissed and Trump doesn’t strike a deal with prosecutors, the case is expected to go to trial. On Tuesday, the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg floated a trial date in January.

Is that a normal timeline for a trial like this?

Even if the case goes to trial a year from now, it would still be seen as fast-tracked compared with the pace of other cases in state court in Manhattan. It is not uncommon for felony matters to drag on for years.

The Trump Organization tax fraud case, which was also overseen by Merchan, managed to move with efficiency despite a massive volume of tax records in evidence. The indictment was unsealed in July 2021, and the company was convicted in early December. Former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, who faced charges along with the company, pleaded guilty in August 2022 after about a year of litigation.

What was Trump charged with?

Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records under Article 175 of the New York Penal Law, according to the indictment unsealed Tuesday.

Falsifying business records is a felony in New York when there is an “intent to defraud” that includes an intent to “commit another crime or to aid or conceal” a crime. In this case, prosecutors will have to prove that Trump is guilty of maintaining false business records with the intent to hide a $130,000 payment in the days before the 2016 election to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged 2006 affair.

Bragg said at a news conference after the arraignment that the alleged scheme was intended to cover up violations of New York election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to illegally promote a candidate. Bragg also said the $130,000 payment exceeded the federal campaign contribution cap.

Could Trump deploy delaying tactics?

The former president has a long history of using stalling tactics to try to turn the court system to his advantage, even when he has ultimately been on the losing side. As president, he fought to block lawmakers from accessing his tax returns and impeded their attempts to interview the former White House counsel about Trump’s attempt to undercut the Russia investigation. He effectively ran out the clock in both instances, even though Congress eventually obtained some of what it wanted. After leaving the White House, Trump tried unsuccessfully, in a case that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, to prevent the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol from obtaining White House records and other official government documents related to the certification of the 2020 election.

Jed Shugerman, a Fordham Law School professor, said that Trump could seek to have a federal judge intervene and rule on issues related to the alleged election law violations, a process that could go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and could extend the case by a year or more.

Shugerman said it was “hard to imagine a scenario,” once the federal system is involved, in which a trial happens before the 2024 election.

Could Trump go to prison?

Technically, yes. If convicted of the felony bookkeeping fraud charge, Trump faces up to four years in prison for each count. The judge could impose consecutive sentences, meaning Trump would have to serve them one after the other.

The charge does not carry a mandatory prison sentence, however. Even if convicted on all counts, Trump would not necessarily face jail time. As a first-time offender with no criminal record, legal experts say, it is uncertain whether the former president and 2024 White House candidate would be sentenced to prison if convicted.

Can Trump still run for president in 2024?

Yes, there is nothing in the Constitution that prevents someone who is indicted — or even convicted of a crime — from running for president.

In fact, his campaign has already started selling merchandise based on the indictment. On Tuesday morning, the campaign sent a pitch touted as “the last email before my arrest.” They were also selling a “NOT GUILTY” fake mug shot photo on a T-shirt for $47, though no actual mug shot was taken. The pretend mug shot showed Trump’s height on the lineup as 6-foot-5, an extra two inches.

The Washington Post’s Ann E. Marimow and Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to this report.