The Supreme Court agrees to hear Trump's presidential immunity claim
Feb 29, 2024, 06:24 IST
- The Supreme Court will hear Trump's immunity claims in his federal election interference case.
- Special counsel Jack Smith's case against Trump cannot proceed until the court rules.
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The Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it will decide whether former President Donald Trump can claim presidential immunity in his federal election interference case, further delaying the high-stakes case.
In a brief order published this week, the top court said it would hear arguments the week of April 22 and issue a ruling on Trump's immunity claim.
Special counsel Jack Smith's case against Trump cannot proceed until the Supreme Court makes its decision, which could take months. If the court rules against Trump's immunity claims, an eventual trial in the matter would likely coincide with the height of election season. If SCOTUS rules in favor of Trump's arguments, the charges against him would be dropped. Trump's legal team has argued that he had total immunity for actions he took while president, likening his questions about the 2020 election results to his official duties. A Washington, DC, appeals court panel ruled earlier this month that Trump is not immune from criminal prosecution in the case. Trump's team, however, quickly appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court.Trump faces four federal counts in the case related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The former president is facing three additional criminal cases, including a New York State hush-money case, a Georgia state election interference case, and another Smith-led federal case over Trump's handling of classified documents. The Supreme Court heard arguments earlier this month in another Trump-related matter over whether the GOP front-runner could be disqualified from the ballot because of language in the 14th Amendment that bars elected officials from participating in insurrection.