- The US Supreme Court – the highest court in the USA – will not deal with the question of immunity of former President Donald Trump for the time being.
- A corresponding request from special prosecutor Jack Smith was rejected without explanation.
- This means that the date planned for the beginning of March for the trial against Trump for attempted election fraud will likely take place later.
Smith had asked the Supreme Court to quickly clarify whether Trump could be prosecuted at the federal level for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election – or whether he was protected by his immunity as president.
Trump is indicted in the US capital Washington in connection with attempted election fraud. Trump supporters stormed the parliament building in Washington on January 6, 2021. Congress met there to formally confirm Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election. Trump had previously incited his supporters during a speech. As a result of the riots, five people died.
Special investigator wanted to bypass appeals court
The 77-year-old is playing for time in the court proceedings. Trump’s lawyers argued that the Republican could not be legally prosecuted for actions that were part of his duties as president. However, the judge responsible had rejected a corresponding application. Trump had appealed this decision – which means it is now up to an appeals court.
But special counsel Smith chose an unusual path: He wanted to bypass the appeals court and went directly to the Supreme Court with a request to resolve the issue quickly. “This case concerns issues of exceptional national importance.”
The country’s highest court did not follow this request. This means that the appeal has to make its way through the courts, which can take a long time. However, the current rejection by the Supreme Court does not mean that the case will not ultimately end up back before the nine judges of the US Supreme Court.