Supreme court to issue Trump immunity decision
Good morning US politics readers. Today marks the final day of the supreme court term, with justices expected to issue its long-anticipated decision on Donald Trump’s presidential immunity claim.
The former president’s case is one of four rulings yet to be decided and certainly the one of greatest consequences. In Donald Trump v the United States, he is seeking absolute immunity from criminal prosecution over his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his role in the January 6 Capitol Hill insurrection.
The court has three other cases remaining on the docket, including two cases over social media laws in Texas and Florida that could limit how platforms regulate posted content. The rulings will be issued one by one, starting at 10am eastern time.
Here’s what else we’re following:
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Joe Biden is at Camp David today and will return to the White House tonight. The president’s family gathered on Sunday to urge him to stay in the race after a disastrous debate performance last week.
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Steve Bannon, Trump’s longtime ally, is set to turn himself in to prison in Connecticut after the supreme court rejected his last-minute appeal to avoid prison time.
Key events
The supreme court’s decision on Donald Trump’s immunity case could be “one of the most important decisions in American history” for presidential power, Politico Playbook writes.
The smart money going into today is on Trump at least partially losing — but the court can be unpredictable, and a narrow ruling could delay Trump’s trial past the election (or forever if he wins).
The timing of the supreme court’s ruling on the Trump immunity case has come under fierce criticism. According to critics, the decision to hold on to this case until early July while having issued decisions on other major cases in recent weeks is “intentional”.
Regardless of what the court’s decision on the case is, by holding on to the case until early July, the justices have reduced, if not eliminated, the chances of Donald Trump standing trial before the 2024 presidential elections in November.
Across all four of his criminal cases, Trump has been trying to delay the trials’ start dates. Thus far, he has only been convicted in one of his cases, which involved hush-money payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels in attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election.
In Donald Trump v the United States, the supreme court will decide whether the former president will stand trial for his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his role in the January 6 Capitol Hill insurrection.
According to Trump, who has been indicted by the justice department’s special counsel Jack Smith on four counts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, presidents should be immune from federal prosecution.
The case was presented before the conservative-majority supreme court on 25 April, during which justices heard roughly three hours of oral arguments.
The court did not seem inclined to grant total immunity to Trump, but a majority of the justices suggested there should be some level of protection, and expressed an interest in having a lower court decide whether the indictment included “official” acts that could be expunged.
Here are the key takeaways from the Trump immunity case.
Supreme court to issue Trump immunity decision
Good morning US politics readers. Today marks the final day of the supreme court term, with justices expected to issue its long-anticipated decision on Donald Trump’s presidential immunity claim.
The former president’s case is one of four rulings yet to be decided and certainly the one of greatest consequences. In Donald Trump v the United States, he is seeking absolute immunity from criminal prosecution over his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his role in the January 6 Capitol Hill insurrection.
The court has three other cases remaining on the docket, including two cases over social media laws in Texas and Florida that could limit how platforms regulate posted content. The rulings will be issued one by one, starting at 10am eastern time.
Here’s what else we’re following:
-
Joe Biden is at Camp David today and will return to the White House tonight. The president’s family gathered on Sunday to urge him to stay in the race after a disastrous debate performance last week.
-
Steve Bannon, Trump’s longtime ally, is set to turn himself in to prison in Connecticut after the supreme court rejected his last-minute appeal to avoid prison time.