OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
8:50 AM – Tuesday, February 15, 2026
Ryan Routh, the 59-year-old man convicted of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course in September 2024, has filed an appeal challenging his conviction and his life sentence.
Routh filed the appeal in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, seeking a review by the U.S Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon passed down a sentence of life plus 84 months in federal prison on February 4th after a federal jury in September 2025 found Routh guilty of all five counts in the indictment:
- Possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number
- Felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition
- Assaulting a federal officer (specifically, a U.S. Secret Service agent)
- Possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence
- Attempted assassination of a major presidential candidate
Routh represented himself in the two-week trial in Fort Pierce, Florida, acting as his own attorney. Martin Roth, the attorney who filed the appeal, said in an email that this may be an error for the appeals court to review. He also challenged the finding that Routh committed an act of terrorism.
“The Constitution affords citizens many peaceful avenues to oppose or express strong dissent about a Presidential candidate — murder is not one of them,” the government said in court filings.
At the time of Routh’s trial, his attorney argued for a lower sentence due to his “inability to effectively confront witnesses, use exhibits or affirmatively introduce impeachment evidence,” arguing that it would still keep him in prison until his 80s, but allow him to receive correctional and mental health treatment.
Routh tried to stab himself with a pen after hearing the verdict, though he left the courtroom smiling after receiving his sentence this month, NewsNation reported.
Routh plotted to kill Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign as he golfed at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. According to trial evidence, then-U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Robert Fercano spotted Routh concealed in a fence line, aiming an AK-47-style rifle at the then-presidential candidate.
Authorities reported that Fercano fired at Routh, prompting him to drop his weapon and flee without firing a shot.
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