Donald Trump’s legal team asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to reject special counsel Jack Smith’s request to speed up a decision on whether the former president can face charges in the 2020 election subversion case.
Prosecutors have asked the high court to rule by Monday on the question to keep the 77-year-old’s trial on track to begin on March 4.
However, Trump’s team argued that there was no reason for the judge to consider his immunity before the appeals court did.
“In 234 years of American history, no president has ever faced criminal prosecution for an official act. As of 19 days ago, no court had ever addressed whether immunity from such prosecution existed,” Trump’s legal team wrote in a brief.
“Until today, no appeals court has dealt with it. That question is one of the most complex, complicated and important issues that this Court will be called upon to decide.”
Donald Trump’s legal team wants to slow the Supreme Court’s consideration of his presidential immunity claim. Reuters
Earlier this month, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan ruled against Trump’s effort to dismiss the four-count indictment against him on the basis of presidential immunity, finding that the 45th president was not entitled to “get out of prison for life – PAS free.”
Ahead of Trump’s expected appeal of the Chutkan ruling, Smith bypassed the DC Circuit Court of Appeals and went straight to the Supreme Court to seek a ruling.
While the judge decides whether to take the matter, Chutkan has stayed “any further proceedings that would move this case toward trial or impose an additional litigation burden on the defendant.”
Jack Smith did not want the trial start date to be significantly delayed. Reuters
The judge has refused to push back the scheduled March 4 trial date – the day before Super Tuesday’s Republican primary contest.
“In a telling omission, the Special Counsel has never explained why March 4, 2024, is supposedly the only ‘appropriate schedule’ for this historic impeachment,” Trump’s lawyer said.
“The date has no talismanic significance.”
The Supreme Court is likely to face a handful of Trump-related cases ahead of the 2024 presidential election. REUTERS
If the Supreme Court declines to rule on Smith’s request, that would raise the possibility that the trial will be delayed until late 2024 or even early 2025 while the immunity issue is resolved.
Trump faces a total of 91 criminal charges in four cases. He has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing in all of them.
On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified Trump from the GOP primary ballot – a decision his campaign has also vowed to appeal to the Supreme Court.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
