Justice
Trump’s immunity: no decision from the Supreme Court
The US Supreme Court has rejected a quick decision on former US President Donald Trump’s immunity. photo
© Charlie Neibergall/AP
Can former US President Trump be held criminally accountable for his actions in office? Nothing will come of the hope that the Supreme Court will quickly clarify this question.
The US Supreme Court will not address the issue of the former president’s immunity for the time being Deal with Donald Trump. 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 no longer be possible.
Smith had asked the Supreme Court to quickly clarify whether Trump can be prosecuted at the federal level for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election – or whether he is protected by his immunity as president.
Storming of Parliament
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.
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 appealed against this decision – which means it is now up to an appeals court.
Hope for a quick decision failed
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 before the nine judges again.