Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to stay the decision on immunity

In an attempt to fend off prosecution for fraud in the 2020 election, Trump argued that he would be exempt from the presidency because he was still in office at the time. After a judge ruled in December that Trump could indeed be prosecuted, three judges of the federal appeals court in Washington, DC, unanimously decided on Tuesday that the former president is not immune from the criminal case.

Trump's lawyers have now asked the Supreme Court to stay the ruling until the court hears an appeal or rejects the appeal. Monday is the deadline to file such a request, otherwise the decision by the three federal judges will take effect.

The Supreme Court's decision will determine whether, and how soon, Trump will be prosecuted for trying to influence the outcome of the election after losing to Democrat Joe Biden, and whether or not to grant an injunction.

The hearing was normally scheduled to begin on March 4, but Chief Justice Tanya Sudkhan decided to adjourn it to May 20 for the time being.

Trump wanted to run as the Republican Party candidate in this year's presidential election. The 77-year-old rejects the allegations against him, an attempt by his political opponents to keep him off the ballot.