Donald Trump asked the US Supreme Court on Monday to postpone a ruling rejecting his argument that he is immune from prosecution for trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
Let’s read the news and find out more.
Trump seeks help from Supreme Court in claiming immunity
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected Trump’s request for immunity from prosecution on February 6.
Hoping to regain his presidential seat in the November 5 US elections, Donald Trump asked the court to stay this decision.
In a petition submitted to the Supreme Court, Trump’s legal team expressed concern, stating that “conducting a months-long criminal trial against President Trump at the height of the election season would radically disrupt the President’s ability to Trump to campaign.”
They asked that the trial be stayed while they argue for the case to be reviewed by the full D.C. Circuit Court and, if necessary, for an appeal to the Supreme Court.
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Trump’s trial on four criminal charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith was originally scheduled for March 4 in federal court in Washington, but it was postponed. For the moment, no new date has been announced.
In December, Smith’s case was heard by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who rejected Trump’s immunity argument, saying previous presidents “are not afforded any special conditions for criminal liability.” federal”.
Following Trump’s appeal, the three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit also rejected his request for immunity.
The panel ruled that “we cannot accept that the office of the presidency places its former occupants above the law forever.”
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As the front-runner for the Republican nomination, Trump is the first former president to face criminal charges. Trump is using every possible method to try to delay the decision.
If he is re-elected, he could use his presidential powers to end prosecutions or even pardon himself for federal offenses, which is only possible if he wins the election in November and returns to the White House.
The D.C. Circuit also rejected the bleak picture Trump’s lawyers presented of what would happen to future presidents if his criminal charges went forward, including threats of partisan prosecution, extortion, blackmail, etc. .
His lawyers argued: “Without immunity from criminal prosecution, the presidency as we know it will cease to exist. »
They added: “Any decision by the president on a politically controversial issue would face the threat of indictment by the opposing party after a change of government. All presidential decisions would be exposed to undue and unjustified pressure from opposing political forces, under threat of indictment after the president leaves office.
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He said: “The threat of prosecution will become a political cudgel used to influence the most sensitive and important presidential decisions, with the threat of personal vulnerability after leaving office. »
The D.C. Circuit said in its ruling: “The risk that former presidents will be unduly harassed by meritless federal criminal prosecutions appears remote.”
Additionally, Trump’s lawyers reinforced his long-standing claim that the prosecution was politically motivated.
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