The US Supreme Court has been asked to weigh in for the first time on Donald Trump’s legal protections, in a petition that seeks a ruling on whether a former president is “absolutely immune” from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office.
Jack Smith, the US special counsel overseeing federal criminal prosecutions of Trump, on Monday urged the Supreme Court to grant “immediate review” in order for the case to be decided during its current term, which usually ends in June or early July. That would ensure a resolution months before the presidential election in November 2024. Trump remains the favourite to become the Republican nominee.
The high court later on Monday granted the request to fast-track consideration of the petition and directed Trump to file a response by December 20. . .
Smith urged the Supreme Court to take the unusual step of hearing the case immediately.
- “Nothing could be more vital to our democracy than . . . a president who abuses the electoral system to remain in office is held accountable for criminal conduct,” he wrote in Monday’s petition.
- “Yet [Trump] has asserted that the Constitution accords him absolute immunity from prosecution. The Constitution’s text, structure, and history lend no support to that novel claim.”
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