The Supreme Court of the United States decided, Wednesday, February 28, to take up the question of the criminal immunity of former American President Donald Trump, accused of having tried to interfere with the results of the presidential election of 2020.
In an unsigned statement, the nation’s highest court says it will consider “whether and, if so, to what extent a former president enjoys presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during its mandate “.
On February 6, a federal appeals court dismissed the criminal immunity invoked by the former Republican president – candidate in the Republican primaries for the presidential election of November 2024 –, reopening the way for his trial in Washington for attempted illegally reverse the results of the 2020 election. Donald Trump then turned to the Supreme Court of the United States asking it to suspend this decision, pending whether or not it agrees to take up this appeal.
In the judges’ order, the preparations for the trial are maintained. The Court will hear oral arguments at the end of April and will likely issue its decision no later than the end of June.
“The presidency as we know it will cease to exist.”
The Supreme Court has already ruled that presidents enjoy immunity from civil liability for official acts, and Mr. Trump’s lawyers have argued for months that this protection should also be extended to criminal prosecutions.
“Without immunity from criminal prosecution, the presidency as we know it will cease to exist,” they say, repeating arguments that have so far failed in federal courts.
The former president’s defense, which aims to delay a trial until after the November election, attributes partisan motives to the prosecution’s pressure for a speedy trial. “Conducting a months-long criminal trial against President Trump in the midst of an election period will radically disrupt President Trump’s ability to campaign against President Biden – which appears to be the goal of the Special Prosecutor’s persistent requests for a speedy trial,” they said. writes the lawyers of the big favorite in the Republican primaries for the next presidential election.
The case is just one of the criminal charges Mr. Trump faces as he seeks to win back the White House. In Florida, he is accused of illegally storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property. He is also accused in a Georgia state court of trying to overturn the 2020 elections in that state and, in New York, of paying bribes to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels.