WASHINGTON– The US Supreme Court declined to immediately address whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution, a decision that could delay his trial for interference in the 2020 election.
Special prosecutor Jack Smith had asked the Supreme Court to review the immunity case expeditiously, without going through the federal appeals court.
The Supreme Court denied the request without providing any explanation for its decision.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who will preside over Trump’s trial scheduled for March over an alleged conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 election, rejected the former president’s claim of immunity on Dec. 1.
The real estate mogul’s lawyers appealed the decision to a federal appeals court and Smith then asked the Supreme Court to intervene.
With the Supreme Court’s rejection of Smith’s request, the appeals court will take over the case, so the trial against Trump for this reason may be delayed.
The appeals court set a start date for hearings on January 9.
Trump’s defense is trying to delay this trial until after the November 2024 elections with the argument that the former president enjoys “absolute immunity” and cannot be prosecuted for decisions or mere opinions of his while he was in the White House.
The political harassment and electoral interference of the left and the extreme left against Trump and denounced by the Republicans, have only increased the leadership and support of the majority of Americans for the former president, who is leading all national polls for the primary elections and for the presidential elections of November 2024.
Source: With information from AFP.
