The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a request by special counsel Jack Smith to fast-track arguments on whether Donald Trump has any immunity from federal prosecution for alleged crimes he committed while in office – a move that will likely delay his trial.
The court did not explain its reasoning and there were no noted dissents.
The court’s decision is a major blow to Smith, who made an extraordinary gamble when he asked the justices to take the rare step of skipping a federal appeals court and quickly deciding a fundamental issue in his election subversion criminal case against Trump.
Both sides will still have the option of appealing an eventual ruling by the DC Circuit Court of Appeals up to the high court, but the court’s move is a major victory for Trump, whose strategy of delay in the criminal case included mounting a protracted fight over the immunity question, which must be settled before his case goes to trial.
They don’t even feel the need to explain themselves either. We truly need a revolution, French style, to fix this situation. It won’t happen until the grocery stores are empty
Or until the porn gets shut off.
Fortunately the Colorado Supreme Court gave the SCOTUS a deadline of Jan 5 to rule or STFU. This will go a long way towards determining whether we continue to have somewhat of a democratic-ish country or we run full steam into fascism.
I don’t think that’s how they worded it. The stay holds if the Supreme Court picks it up. That means that all they have to do is not rule on it and he still gets put on the ballot because of the stay.
And it also ruled that this “stay shall remain in place” if Trump or another litigant seeks US Supreme Court review of this case prior to January 4.
I’m reading this as Biden should just start locking the traitors up, due process be damned. Firing squads on fifth avenue. If a president can’t be tried while they’re sitting, and they can’t be tried after they leave, none of it matters and I see no problems here. That sound right, SCOTUS?
While I don’t disagree that SCOTUS might very well get around to giving Trump a get out of jail free card, they haven’t acted inappropriately yet. It isn’t the normal flow for this appeal to immediately go to SCOTUS; the expected result for such an attempt is denial.
It’s delaying , and aiding Trump’s bullshit. Prosecutors are going to spend months of process now, for the same question to inevitably hit SC’s desk, before Smith can loop back to Trump in time to start his trial 60 odd days before the elections, when he’ll get to whine and complain that trials are interfering with his candidacy. What an infuriatingly corrupt institution.
There’s a process, and the DC circuit is the next stop. Why didn’t the liberal justices dissent? This is fairly standard.
Yeah, keep that process in mind after Trump wins 2024, pardons himself and carries on with this concept of ironclad immunity for the presidential office. I’m sure it will be a real comfort knowing we did everything we could except expedit this incredibly exceptional circumstance.
I understand the wheels of justice grind slow, and so does trump. He’s weaponizing and banking on this for his escape maneuver, and that alone should put this case to priority #1.
Edit: and that’s before we even consider his defense: “maybe I’m immune from crimes committed during office, forever?” is not how this concept has ever been interpreted. It’s a ridiculous proposal with a simple response.
SCROTUS.
The court’s decision is a major blow to Smith, who made an extraordinary gamble when he asked the justices to take the rare step of skipping a federal appeals court and quickly deciding a fundamental issue in his election subversion criminal case against Trump.
It doesn’t sound like this is a surprise.
