The Supreme Court is going to let Donald Trump's appeals play out before weighing in on election interference case

• The Supreme Court denied Jack Smith's request to sidestep a court of appeals to hear a Trump case.
• Trump says the election interference case against him should be thrown out because of presidential immunity.

The Supreme Court on Friday said it would not bypass a lower court of appeals, allowing the district court to hear a case on whether former President Donald Trump can be criminally charged for actions he took while president.

The decision comes days after Trump requested the top court hold off on answering whether he has "absolute immunity" in relation to federal charges he faces over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

The Supreme Court did not offer a reason for its decision not to fast-track the case.

Trump faces charges in DC federal court of illegally obstructing Congress and participating in a conspiracy to defraud the government when he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election and prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's win.

A federal appeals court in Washington, DC, is currently set to hear Trump's argument after US District Judge Tanya Chutkan — who shut down Trump's immunity claim — froze the case.

Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court earlier this month to bypass the federal appeals court and resolve the matter in a faster-than-usual manner.

The question of whether Trump is immune from criminal charges related to his time in office must be answered before a trial on the matter can begin.

His election interference trial is currently set to start on March 4, 2024.

But ongoing appeals from Trump's camp could push the trial, which is separate from his myriad other legal troubles, including another federal indictment over his handling of classified documents and criminal charges in Georgia in connection to his efforts to overturn the state's election results.

In Trump's response to the government's request for a speedy SCOTUS decision, he accused Smith of being driven by politics and urged the conservative-bent court to resolve the manner in a "cautious and deliberative" way instead of speeding through a decision before the March 4 trial date.

Trump has appeared eager to put off his cascading legal troubles by any means necessary while he runs for president in 2024.

Meanwhile, Smith's rejected request appeared to align with his efforts to try and keep the trial on track.

The matter will be turned over to a federal appeals court in Washington, where arguments are set for January 9.