Special prosecutor appeals to Supreme Court on Trump's immunity
Donald Trump (Photo: Getty Images)
Special prosecutor Jack Smith has gone directly to the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from legal prosecution, reports CNN.
This marks the first time such a high-level court will evaluate the legal prosecution of a former president.
The extraordinary request is Smith's attempt to expedite the legal process regarding election interference, scheduled to begin in early March.
"Smith is asking the Supreme Court to take the rare step of bypassing the federal appeals court and swiftly decide the fundamental issue in the case against Trump. Smith's team has approached the court to review the decision of District Judge Tanya Chutkan that, as a former president, Trump is not immune to charges of election interference, brought in Washington," the publication states.
The prosecutor refers to the U.S. case against Nixon
The special prosecutor's team points to a similar maneuver used in the U.S. case against former President Richard Nixon in the Supreme Court in 1974, where judges rejected Nixon's claims to presidential privileges in the dispute over a court summons due to Oval Office recordings.
In that case, the court quickly decided so that one of the Watergate-era cases could be heard as soon as possible.
In their appeal to the Supreme Court, prosecutors, along with the special prosecutor, wrote that "there is nothing more important to our democracy" than holding a former president accountable if he violates the law. Urging judges to address this issue now, prosecutors argued that the high-profile nature of the case requires a departure from the usual appeals procedure.
Capitol riot
Recall that on January 6, 2021, supporters of Trump stormed the Capitol and caused turmoil in which 5 people died. This happened as Congress was set to certify the results of the presidential elections.
In July of this year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed charges against former President Donald Trump in connection with the Capitol riot.
In November, a court decided to imprison a former U.S. State Department employee for 5 years, who participated in the Capitol riot.
Legal cases against Trump Trump faces over 90 criminal charges in multiple cases: regarding the payment of $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, election interference in 2020, and the unlawful handling of classified information after leaving office, among others.
In early December, there were reports that Trump could be held civilly liable for the actions of the Capitol riot participants on January 6, 2021.
