Donald Trump election subversion case gets big weigh in from Supreme Court

Washington DC - On Friday the US Supreme Court rejected a request by prosecutors to expedite their appeals case on whether former president Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution in his federal 2020 election subversion case.

On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected a request to deliver an expedited ruling on Donald Trump's immunity defense in his 2020 election subversion case.
On Friday, the Supreme Court rejected a request to deliver an expedited ruling on Donald Trump's immunity defense in his 2020 election subversion case.  © ALMOND NGAN / AFP

On Friday, the 6-3 conservative majority court issued their rejection of special counsel Jack Smith's request without including any notes or arguments to support their decision.

The rejection comes after Smith submitted a request last week for a decision to be made "expeditiously" by the court on whether Trump can indeed use this immunity defense.

Smith also noted he recognized that it was an "extraordinary request," but says the move was made in an attempt to keep the trial on schedule, as Trump and his team have repeatedly sought to delay it.

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The court responded almost immediately to Smith's request, ordering Trump's legal team to respond by December 20.

In their response – which was submitted on the deadline – Trump's attorneys asked the court not to intervene, arguing that there was "no compelling reason" to do so.

They added that the prosecuting team's request created a "compelling appearance of partisan motivation."

What is Trump's team trying to appeal?

Special counsel Jack Smith's request to expedite the appeal was declined by the 6-3 conservative majority court without any notes or arguments to support their decision.
Special counsel Jack Smith's request to expedite the appeal was declined by the 6-3 conservative majority court without any notes or arguments to support their decision.  © SAUL LOEB / AFP

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is to preside over Trump's March trial for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election, rejected the immunity claim on December 1.

Trump's lawyers claim that the former president enjoys "absolute immunity" and cannot be prosecuted for actions he took while in the White House. His team appealed the decision to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit in an attempt to delay the trial until after the November 2024 election.

With the Supreme Court's rejection of Smith's request, the appeals court will now hear the case. This could potentially delay the March start of Trump's election subversion trial as the appeals case has scheduled its opening arguments for January 9.

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Trump is facing charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election. His legal team has been fighting for the case to be dismissed, arguing that he is "absolutely immune from criminal prosecution" as a former president.

The classified documents trial is scheduled to begin in May, but the other court cases' rulings will certainly cause further delays down the line.

Cover photo: ALMOND NGAN / AFP

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