The United States Supreme Court has sided with former United States President Donald Trump after issuing a ruling rejecting Special Counsel Jack Smith's request for an expedited ruling over the Republican businessman's immunity claim.
The ruling was issued on Friday and relates to the former president's immunity claims regarding his 2020 election interference case. While appellate courts are hearing the immunity case, the Supreme Court said it would be proceeding as normal.
Supreme Court on Trump's Immunity Claim
The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit has already indicated its plans to expedite its consideration of Trump's immunity case. Earlier this week, the former president's legal team filed a written response to Smith's request, urging the Supreme Court not to rush the situation.
The Supreme Court's brief said that the appeal presents "momentous, historic questions" and that an erroneous denial of a claim of presidential immunity warrants its review.
Trump is currently charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights, as per Fox News.
The Supreme Court's decision will likely be considered a major blow to Smith, who has made the extraordinary gamble of asking the justices for an expedited ruling. Both sides of the legal battle still have the option of appealing an eventual DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruling up to the highest court.
The former president's strategy has been to delay the criminal case and to mount a protracted fight over the questioning of his immunity claim. On the other hand, at the DC Circuit, an expedited review is underway over the issue.
A CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at the University of Texas School of Law, Steve Vladeck, said the real question now is what happens next. He noted that assuming the Court of Appeals rejects Trump's claim, will it keep the trial on hold until the Supreme Court's review is completed or allow the case to continue to trial?
Rejecting a Request for an Expedited Ruling
When it came to urging the court not to take the case, Trump's attorneys argued that the special counsel was trying to "rush to decide the issues with reckless abandon." In court papers, they wrote that the fact that the case arises in the middle of a political dispute warrants caution, according to CNN.
Following the Supreme Court's rejection of the request, Trump continued to insist that he has immunity from federal prosecution. On Friday, he wrote on social media that he was president and that it was his right and duty to investigate and speak about the rigged and stolen 2020 election.
The former president was first indicted in June by Smith and it contended that all of Trump's attempts to reverse his 2020 election loss. These include pressuring his then Vice-President Mike Pence to stop the congressional certification. He also sought to organize fake slates of electors.
Earlier this month, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected Trump's immunity claim, which set the stage for the former president. The Guardian said that the latter had always expected the motion to fail, and he immediately filed an appeal to stay the case while the DC Circuit considered the matter.
