Supreme Court: US Supreme Court Agrees To Hear On Trump's Immunity

The US Supreme Court accepted Donald Trump's appeal on the issue of the former president's immunity from lawsuits. The Supreme Court announced on Wednesday (local time) that a hearing is scheduled for the end of April. With this court move, it is still unclear if and when the trial against the former president for attempted electoral fraud will be able to begin in Washington. The decision is a success for Trump, who is trying to delay the start of the trial as long as possible.

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Trump is indicted in the US capital, Washington, for attempted electoral 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. Before the storming of the Capitol, Trump had already tried, at various levels, to overturn the election results. He still does not recognize his defeat against Biden and wants to return to the White House after the presidential elections in November.

Trump and his lawyers want the charges dropped. They are citing Trump's immunity from his role as president at the time. They argue that Trump cannot be legally prosecuted for actions that were part of his duties as president. More recently, they failed this argument before an appeals court in the US capital in early February. This ruled that the 77-year-old Republican could be criminally prosecuted for his actions in office. Trump took legal action against this decision in the Supreme Court.

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The court has now announced that it will examine “whether and, if so, to what extent a former president enjoys immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct allegedly related to official acts during his term in office”. Both sides will present their positions at the hearing in late April. It will likely take several weeks for the court to make a decision. The decision on protection from criminal prosecution also has immense importance for future presidents. If they truly enjoy immunity, they will be able to commit crimes in office without having to fear the consequences. But it remains to be seen what exactly the verdict will be.

The start of the electoral fraud trial has been postponed indefinitely

The judge responsible for the electoral fraud case indefinitely postponed the start of the trial until the issue of immunity was finally clarified. In fact, the process was supposed to start in early March. If the court rules in favor of the Republican, it could mean the end of the election fraud trial in Washington.

Trump wants to return to the White House for the Republicans after the elections and regularly describes the investigations against him as a “political witch hunt” and portrays himself as a victim of the justice system. So far everything points to a new edition of the race between him and current Democrat Biden. So far, the investigations against him have not hurt Trump in the polls. This could change if Trump is convicted by a jury before the election.

Trump threatens to exclude primary elections in Illinois too

In total, Trump faces four criminal cases against him – in addition to the federal electoral fraud case, there is another in the US state of Georgia. Trump was also accused of obtaining secret government documents after his term and in connection with hush money paid to a former porn star. At the same time, civil proceedings are ongoing against him.

The Supreme Court is currently handling another Trump case. The question is whether the Republican will be able to continue participating in the primaries or even be excluded from the position of president. The judges were quite skeptical – a decision in favor of Trump was indicated at the hearing. It is unclear when the verdict will come. Trump had previously appealed to the court to overturn a Colorado state ruling that disqualified him from running in the 2021 primary due to his role in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

As several US media outlets consistently report, an Illinois state court also ruled that the former president was not allowed to participate in the primary elections. Trump disqualified himself from the office of president for his behavior in connection with the attack on the Capitol, the statement said. Plaintiffs have been trying for some time in several states to prevent Trump from participating in the primaries and to have the 77-year-old man's name removed from ballots.

Trump's team immediately announced it would also appeal the ruling in Illinois. “This is an unconstitutional verdict that we will quickly appeal,” his campaign team said in a statement on Wednesday evening (local time). For now, Trump's name will remain on the ballot in the state. The Illinois Republican primary is March 19.

The US Supreme Court has moved significantly to the right under Trump. The Republican significantly changed the majority on the court during his term. However, in the past, the court has not always ruled in favor of the former president.