The court's term concludes on Monday with a decision on the scope of presidential immunity for actions taken while in office.
The Supreme Court will rule on Monday if former President Trump can claim immunity from prosecution for actions to overturn the 2020 election. Chief Justice Roberts said Friday that Monday is the last day for rulings this term, with the Trump case among four left. Rulings start at 10:00 a.m., and the Trump case will likely be the last.
On Monday, the Supreme Court will decide if former President Trump can claim immunity from prosecution for his actions to overturn the 2020 election. Chief Justice John Roberts announced that Monday is the final day for rulings this term.
The Trump case is one of four decisions still pending. The rulings will be issued one by one starting at 10:00 a.m., with the Trump case likely being the last. This decision is highly anticipated and will clarify the extent of presidential immunity.
The court has faced criticism from the left for hearing the Trump case, delaying a trial initially set for March, and taking a long time to decide. This delay makes it hard for a trial to start before the election. Trump faces a four-count indictment for trying to overturn the 2020 election, leading to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, where his supporters tried to stop Congress from certifying Biden’s win.
Time is running out for a trial to occur before November’s election, where Trump aims to regain power. Even if the Supreme Court rejects Trump's immunity arguments on Monday, a trial likely won't start until September.
Based on the timeline set before the appeals process, it could take three months after the Supreme Court ruling to start a trial, which could last up to 12 weeks.
The legal question before the court is whether a former president enjoys immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct involving official acts during his tenure in office.
Initially, Trump argued for broad immunity to dismiss the entire indictment, but his lawyer backed off during April's oral argument. He admitted some acts in the indictment weren't part of Trump's official duties. Trump's lawyers have long acknowledged that he isn't immune from non-official acts.
Lower courts rejected Trump's broad immunity claim, leading him to seek intervention from the Supreme Court. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices he appointed.
Based on oral arguments, it seems likely the court will find some conduct in the indictment subject to immunity. The justices might create a new test to determine what official acts receive immunity and send it back to lower courts to see how it affects Trump's indictment. This could further delay the trial.
On Monday, the court will also decide two cases challenging Republican-backed state laws regulating social media platforms and another case about when companies can challenge federal agency rulemaking.
