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Not the judge, but the American voter will likely have Donald Trump's fate in his hands. The highest-profile federal criminal case against the former president — over his alleged plot to challenge the 2020 election results and his role in the early 2021 Capitol storming — was delayed for months following the Supreme Court's decision. This delay significantly reduces the likelihood that the Republican nominee will be able to stand trial before the November 5 election, if he hopes to regain his presidential immunity as well as the White House.
The nine-member court announced on Wednesday that it would consider the question of whether Trump also enjoys immunity from criminal prosecution as a former president. The Washington, D.C., appeals court unanimously rejected Trump's claim at the beginning of this year. She added that the Supreme Court could have kept this ruling in place, but it would consider the same case at Trump's request One short, unsigned decision a favour. The senior judges are scheduled to hold a hearing in April to deliver their ruling before the end of their term, which is usually at the end of June.
The court talks about an “urgent hearing,” but this will delay the election case against Trump by at least several months. Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, appointed by the Justice Department, originally wanted to start the trial on March 4, but was forced to abandon that date pending the appeal of Trump's immunity case. At the end of last year, Smith had already asked the Supreme Court to expedite the immunity case, but then said it was the D.C. appellate judges' turn first.
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About the progress of all the criminal cases against Trump in this general article
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The senior justices—three of whom were nominated to the court under Trump—were highly effective in the delaying tactics the former president always opted for on the court. Trump is suspected in three other criminal cases: withholding state secrets, interfering in election results in Georgia, and concealing hush money payments to a mistress before the 2016 election. The last case must be heard. On March 25 in New York, but it is seen as the weakest of the four criminal cases.
Trump also hopes to definitively win the Republican presidential nomination in early March. With that nomination officially in his pocket, he is expected to ask the justices not to force him to stand trial in an election year. This is because as a politician he must be able to campaign without hindrance.
On/no on the ballot
However, for now, Trump's legal troubles continue to get in the way of his campaign. On Wednesday, for example, a lower court in Illinois decided that the former president should not be on the ballot in the Midwestern state's mid-March primary. Trump should be disqualified for his role in setting up the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. This is based on Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits “rebels” from holding public office.
The states of Maine and Colorado have previously reached this conclusion, while such objections to Trump have been rejected in other states. The Supreme Court will also have the final say on the matter. The ruling on this matter may be issued as early as this Friday, because it is next Tuesday Super Tuesday There are Republican primaries in fifteen statesIncluding Maine and Colorado. At the beginning of this month, the Supreme Courts heard the supporters of exclusion and Trump’s lawyers’ defense against him. They then implied in their question that they were not entirely convinced that “14” applied to Trump.
