Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Liakoras Center in Philadelphia on June 22, 2024.
Anna Money Tree | Getty Images
The Supreme Court is expected to issue the final opinions of its term on Monday, including a ruling on whether former President Donald Trump is immune from criminal prosecution on federal election interference charges.
The decision by the high court, which has a six-member conservative majority that includes three members nominated by Trump, will determine the fate of the high-stakes criminal case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
Trump is charged with four counts of illegally conspiring to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss to President Joe Biden.
The case has been on hold in federal court in Washington, D.C., while Trump has argued that he is immune from prosecution for any official acts he committed while president. Lawyers for the presumptive Republican nominee argue that former presidents cannot be charged for official actions while in office unless impeached and convicted by Congress.
Trump was impeached in the House of Representatives for inciting insurrection on January 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol and temporarily prevented lawmakers from certifying Biden’s election victory. He was acquitted in the Senate, where the Constitution requires a two-thirds vote for conviction.
The pause in election cases forced U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to delay Trump’s trial, which was scheduled to begin on March 4.
Critics were outraged when the high court decided to hear the immunity issue instead of letting an appeals court rule reject Trump’s immunity claim.
The Supreme Court’s intervention caused months of additional delays and could delay any trial until after the Nov. 5 election.
The election case is generally considered the most serious of four criminal indictments brought against Trump as he seeks re-election.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.
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