Supreme Court gives prosecutors a week to respond in Trump immunity case
The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave Jack Smith, the special counsel who prosecuted former President Donald J. Trump, a week to respond to Mr. Trump's emergency request asking the justices to halt an appeals court's ruling , which dismissed his claim that he is absolutely immune from criminal activity. cost.
In asking Mr. Smith to respond by February 20 at 4 p.m., the judges did not set a particularly expeditious schedule. The court often calls for faster responses to emergency requests based on what critics call its shadow role. But there's nothing stopping Mr. Smith from filing sooner, and he probably will.
The proceedings against Mr Trump in court will remain frozen in the meantime. Unless the justices act quickly, the lawsuit could end up in the heart of the 2024 campaign, or even beyond the election.
In asks the Supreme Court to intervene On Monday, Mr. Trump's lawyers urged the justices to move at a deliberate pace.
“President Trump's assertion that presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for their official actions presents a new, complex and weighty question that warrants careful consideration on appeal,” Mr. Trump's filing said.
His lawyers added that the court had to take into account the election campaign and what they believed were Mr Smith's political motives in taking swift action.
“Conducting a months-long criminal trial against President Trump at the height of the election season,” the filing said, “will radically disrupt President Trump's ability to campaign against President Biden — which appears to be the entire point of the continued demands of the special prosecutor for expedition. ”
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously rejected Mr. Trump's argument that he should not be prosecuted for actions he took while in office.
The trial was scheduled to begin on March 4, but Judge Tanya S. Chutkan removed it from her calendar. If the justices deny Trump's request for a delay, the request will be rescheduled.