US Supreme Court to rule on Trump immunity claim
February 29, 2024
The US Supreme Court said on Wednesday that it will decide on former US President Donald Trump's claim of immunity from prosecution.
What is the impact of the top court's decision?
The judges of the Supreme Court have decided to hear arguments from April 22 onwards as it will review a lower court's rejection of Trump's claim of immunity from prosecution.
The Supreme Court proceedings scheduled for April will now be based solely on one question: "Whether and if so, to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office."
The Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority and includes three judges appointed by Trump, said that it was not "expressing a view on the merits" of a lower court's ruling that rejected Trump's immunity claim.
The verdict is expected by the end of the court's current term in June.
This development will delay a critical criminal trial against Trump while he attempts a return to the presidency.
Trump's federal trial was slated for March 4 for plotting to reverse the election results in 2020, where he lost to Democrat Joe Biden . He has pleaded not guilty in the case, which Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith brought forward.
Trump welcomes the move
Trump, the first former president to be prosecuted in a criminal case, has defended the court's decision.
"Without Presidential Immunity, a President will not be able to properly function or make decisions in the best interest of the United States of America," he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
"He must not be guided by the fear of retribution!"
"Presidents will always be concerned, and even paralyzed, by the prospect of wrongful prosecution and retaliation after they leave office. This could actually lead to the extortion and blackmail of a President."
Trump has three other pending criminal cases in addition to his federal election interference trial. He has also pleaded not guilty in all three of them.
mfi/wd (AFP, Reuters)