Trump tries to delay trial in election overturn case
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (photo: Flickr.com)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday, December 20, called on the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a request from federal prosecutors for an immediate review of his claim that he cannot be prosecuted for trying to undo his 2020 election defeat, reports Reuters.
Trump appealed to the court in response to an emergency request from U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith, which, if granted, would have forced the politician to demand criminal immunity from judges even as a lower court attempts to rule on the issue.
The former U.S. president asked the justices to reject Smith's request that the Supreme Court weigh in before the lower appeals court does. This could delay the trial and postpone the start of his trial scheduled for March 2024.
Trump's attorneys noted in the filing that the special counsel is urging judges to bypass the normal appeals process, including the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, "and rush to decide the issues with reckless abandon. The Court should decline that invitation at this time."
Case on the cancellation of 2020 presidential elections
Donald Trump is accused of trying to obstruct Congress and attempting to defraud the U.S. government through schemes aimed at undoing Democratic President Joe Biden's victory in the November 2020 election.
The politician claims that this case and the three other criminal prosecutions he faces are politically motivated. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The politician argues that the case should be dismissed because former presidents cannot be prosecuted for behavior related to their official duties.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan dismissed the lawsuit on December 1, after which Trump filed an appeal with the Federal Court of Appeals in Washington.
Trump's appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit suspended the trial. In a written submission, Smith told the judges that Trump's claims are "deeply flawed" and that only the Supreme Court "can finally resolve them." Three of the nine Supreme Court justices were appointed by Trump, who consolidated the conservative 6-3 majority.
On December 11, Special Counsel Smith urged the Supreme Court to issue an expedited ruling to avoid delaying the trial.
On December 14, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan granted Trump's request to suspend the trial scheduled for March next year on obstruction of the 2020 election. Hearings and future deadlines in the case have been suspended while the politician files a lawsuit seeking full immunity from criminal charges. The order is only a delay in the schedule and does not cancel all dates.
If Trump wins the presidential election on November 5, 2024, he can apply for a pardon for any federal crimes.
