By The newspaper
Jun 19, 2024, 17:26 PM EDT
The United States Supreme Court is in the final stretch to issue a crucial ruling that will define whether Donald Trump, former president and current Republican candidate, has presidential immunity in the context of the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
This verdict is essential to the ongoing trial, where Trump faces accusations of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, in which he was defeated by Joe Biden.
The trial, temporarily suspended, is in the hands of the federal court of the District of Columbia. The wait is due to the fact that the Supreme Court is deliberating whether Trump, due to his position as former president, enjoys immunity for his actions related to his official duties, according to the EFE agency.
The country’s highest court usually issues its rulings in June, and the decision on Trump is expected to be announced in sessions scheduled for this Thursday and Friday.
Trump’s defense maintains that he enjoys absolute immunity from prosecution for his actions during his term. However, during a hearing in April, several Supreme Court justices expressed doubts about whether this immunity should apply to personal decisions made while he was in the White House.
The presence of three Trump-nominated judges on the Supreme Court adds an additional layer of complexity to this case.
Significant implications
The Supreme Court’s resolution has significant implications for the pending trial for electoral interference and incitement to the assault on the Capitol.
Historically, United States presidents have enjoyed a certain degree of immunity from legal proceedings for actions carried out in the exercise of their functions, although this is not explicitly defined in the Constitution, the EFE agency detailed.
Regardless of the ruling, Trump has managed to postpone the trial, avoiding it to coincide directly with the presidential elections on November 5, where he will seek a second term facing Joe Biden again.
Despite his legal troubles, Trump maintains strong support within the Republican Party, and is expected to be officially nominated as its candidate at the July convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In addition to the Capitol assault case, Trump faces other significant legal challenges. In New York, he was convicted of falsifying business records related to payments to a porn actress during his 2016 presidential campaign. He is also charged in Florida for unlawful retention of classified documents and in Georgia for election interference in 2020.
With information from EFE.
Keep reading:
– Supreme Court will review Donald Trump’s claim of “absolute immunity” from criminal proceedings
– Hearing begins in the US Supreme Court on Trump’s judicial immunity for assault on the Capitol
– Trump supporter convicted for breaking into the Capitol on January 6 with a knife