WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide whether former President Donald Trump can claim presidential immunity over criminal election interference charges, adding a new hurdle to a trial taking place.
The legal question the court will decide is “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 order said.
Trump’s lawyers have pointed to a 1982 Supreme Court ruling that endorsed presidential immunity from civil lawsuits when the underlying conduct concerns actions within the “outer perimeter” of the president’s official responsibilities.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who is prosecuting the case, said in his own court papers that it was imperative the issue get decided quickly.
On Feb. 8, the justices heard arguments in a separate Trump-related case on the former president’s attempt to avoid being kicked off the ballot in Colorado.
Chutkan in December rejected Trump’s plea to dismiss the indictment on presidential immunity and other constitutional grounds.
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WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide whether former President Donald Trump can claim presidential immunity over criminal election interference charges, adding a new hurdle to a trial taking place.
The legal question the court will decide is “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 order said.
Trump’s lawyers have pointed to a 1982 Supreme Court ruling that endorsed presidential immunity from civil lawsuits when the underlying conduct concerns actions within the “outer perimeter” of the president’s official responsibilities.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who is prosecuting the case, said in his own court papers that it was imperative the issue get decided quickly.
On Feb. 8, the justices heard arguments in a separate Trump-related case on the former president’s attempt to avoid being kicked off the ballot in Colorado.
Chutkan in December rejected Trump’s plea to dismiss the indictment on presidential immunity and other constitutional grounds.
The original article contains 640 words, the summary contains 172 words. Saved 73%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!