The United States Supreme Court is expected to release its decision on Monday (1st) on the case involving Donald Trump’s immunity from criminal proceedings in which he is accused of trying to overturn the result of the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden, and having incited supporters to invade the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The former American president argues that at the time of the alleged crimes he was president and was therefore protected from criminal liability.
The long-awaited decision should come out at 11 am in Brasília.
Before going to the highest court in the US, the former president filed an appeal with the Washington Court of Appeals, which ruled unanimously in February that Trump is not immune from prosecution for alleged crimes he committed during his presidency. The decision categorically rejected Trump’s arguments that he should not stand trial on election fraud charges.
If the Supreme Court follows suit and rules that former presidents are not entitled to immunity from criminal prosecution, Trump’s trial over the Capitol and attempt to obstruct the election could begin immediately.
However, some legal analysts believe that if the Supreme Court had fully agreed with the decision already taken by the Court of Appeals, it would probably not have agreed to analyze the Republican’s appeal.
During arguments on April 25, several of the Supreme Court’s conservative justices — notably Chief Justice John Roberts and Trump nominee Justice Brett Kavanaugh — made clear they disagreed with the appeals court’s approach.
The decision will shape the future actions of future American presidents and even the progress of other cases against Trump.
Delay in decision favors Trump
Whatever the Supreme Court’s decision, Trump is already favored. This is because the delay in announcing the outcome made it unlikely that the trial would be concluded before the November 5 elections.
The ruling by the court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three Trump-appointed justices, will be released 20 weeks after the former president filed his appeal.
In practice, the decision’s timeline likely won’t give Special Counsel Jack Smith enough time to try Trump on the four federal charges. It is unlikely that a jury will reach a verdict before voters go to the polls this year.
“The resulting delay made it nearly impossible to bring the case to trial before the election,” said Randall Eliason, a George Washington University law professor and former federal prosecutor. “The court should have treated the matter with much more urgency than it did.”
Trump is the Republican candidate who will challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in what will be a rematch of the 2020 election. He is the first former U.S. president to be criminally prosecuted and was previously convicted in a New York state court case involving bribes paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.
If he regains the presidency, Trump could try to force an end to the special counsel case or grant a presidential self-pardon for any federal crimes.
Trump pleaded not guilty and classified the case as politically motivated.
With information from Reuters and CNN International.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
