The Supreme Court has declined to delay the four-month prison sentence of Stephen Bannon, former aide to President Donald Trump. Bannon is scheduled to report to prison on July 1. He was convicted of contempt of Congress in November 2021 for failing to respond to a congressional subpoena issued by the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. Bannon argued that the information sought was protected by executive privilege.
A divided three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had previously denied Bannon’s motion for release pending appeal, emphasizing that he had not justified a departure from the general rule that a defendant should be detained following conviction and imposition of a sentence of imprisonment.
Bannon’s attorney contended that a conflict exists between the D.C. Circuit’s definition of “willfully” and the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the term in criminal statutes. However, U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar countered that the Supreme Court has already rejected this argument in prior cases.
Bannon is seeking to have the Supreme Court review his case, arguing that unless the court intervenes, he will complete his prison term before any decision. The Supreme Court’s refusal to delay his prison sentence follows a similar decision involving Peter Navarro, another former Trump advisor. For further reading, the detailed report can be found at SCOTUSblog.