Trump achieves partial victory over private investigators
The US Supreme Court has not yet decided whether the former president is protected from federal criminal proceedings. This can delay the process.
Is Donald Trump protected from criminal prosecution by his immunity as a former president?
Photography: Charlie Nebergall (AP Photo/Keystone)
The US Supreme Court will not consider the issue of immunity for former President Donald Trump at this time. A similar request from special prosecutor Jack Smith was denied on Friday without explanation. This means that the scheduled date of the beginning of March for Trump’s trial on charges of attempting to rig the election will no longer be possible.
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 in Washington, DC On charges of attempting to rig elections. Trump supporters storm the Capitol building in Washington on January 6, 2021. Congress met there to formally affirm Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the presidential election. Trump previously incited his supporters during a speech. The riots resulted in the deaths of five people.
Moved by private investigator
The 77-year-old is playing time in court proceedings. Trump's lawyers said the Republican could not be legally prosecuted for actions that were part of his duties as president. However, the responsible judge rejected a similar request. Trump has appealed that decision, meaning the matter is now up to the appeals court.
But private attorney Smith chose an unusual route: he wanted to bypass the Court of Appeal and go straight to the Supreme Court, asking for the case to be resolved quickly. “This case concerns issues of exceptional national importance.”
The country's highest court did not respond to this request. This means that the appeal must make its way through the courts, which can take a long time. But the current rejection by the Supreme Court does not mean that the case will not eventually end up before the nine justices again.
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