Donald Trump, the former president who split American public opinion
Supreme Court rejects emergency relief on Trump's immunity
Was Donald Trump protected by presidential immunity when he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election? Today the US Supreme Court refused to issue an emergency ruling on this matter, a godsend for the Republican, who hopes to postpone the start of his trial.
The former president, who is running for election in late 2024, will be tried on March 4 for his activities during the last presidential election. His lawyers, who they are doing everything to delay the start of the trial so that it does not coincide with election deadlines, they argue that Donald Trump enjoys “absolute immunity” for his actions while in the White House. For this reason, he should not face trial.
In early December, Judge Tanya Chutkan, who will preside over Donald Trump's federal trial, has rejected a first request for immunity on the basis that there is no statute that protects a former president from criminal prosecution.
Trump's lawyers have appealed this decision, asking the Court of Appeals to rule on the matter. However, this further step could take many weeks and delay the start of the former president's trial.
In mid-December, federal prosecutor Jack Smith appealed to the United States Supreme Courtasking the highest court in the country to rule directly on the matter, without waiting for the Court of Appeal.
The Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority because it was largely overhauled by Donald Trump, refused to do so on Friday.
Similar attempts to invoke presidential immunity for Trump have been rejected by judges, but the temple of American law has never directly said whether a former head of state enjoys immunity from prosecution.
The jurisprudence is all the more unclear because Donald Trump is the first former US president to face criminal charges. The Republican billionaire is preparing for an extraordinary year from every point of view, dotted with comings and goings between the courts and the podiums of the electoral campaign.
#Trump #Supreme #Court #urgency #decide #case