Special Counsel John “Jack” Smith has appealed to the US Supreme Court for a swift decision on the question of former US President Donald Trump’s entitlement to absolute presidential immunity against criminal charges. The immunity issue pertains to his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
In his filing on Monday, Smith appealed for the Supreme Court Justices to review, on a priority basis, a previous denial by a federal trial judge to dismiss the indictment against Trump, completely bypassing the appellate stages. Smith underscored the urgency of the situation, stating the underlying public significance required the matter to be brought to resolution expeditiously.
Smith is also urging a federal appeals court to hasten its handling of Trump’s appeal of US District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s ruling. He stated his primary motive for pursuing the dual-track strategy is to ensure that the Supreme Court deliberates and delivers its judgement before the conclusion of its current term, typically toward the end of June.
The full text of the filing can be found here. Notably, this is the first instance wherein the Supreme Court has been requested to intervene in one of the ongoing criminal prosecutions against Trump.
Smith further clarified that the appeal regarding Trump’s immunity has temporarily stalled the slated commencement of the trial on March 4.
On a related note, Chutkan, in her December 1 ruling, vociferously negated the stratagem of invoking presidential immunity, stating that Trump’s service as the Commander in Chief for four years does not endow him with absolute immunity from criminal scrutiny.
The case in question is United States v. Trump, 23-624.
For further information, refer to this report.