Photo: Andrew Harnik Associated Press Donald Trump addresses his supporters on the evening of the Republican primary in South Carolina, in Columbia, last Saturday.
France Media Agency in Washington
7:32 p.m.
- United States
The United States Supreme Court agreed on Wednesday to take up the question of criminal immunity invoked by Donald Trump as former president and to examine it at the end of April.
Aimed by four separate criminal charges, the big favorite in the Republican primaries for the November presidential election is seeking through his multiple appeals to go to trial as late as possible, in any case after the vote.
A federal appeals court on February 6 dismissed the criminal immunity invoked by the former Republican president, reopening the way for his trial in Washington for attempting to illegally reverse the results of the 2020 election.
All procedural acts in this case had been suspended due to the appeal, leading Judge Tanya Chutkan, who will preside over the proceedings, to announce the postponement of the trial, initially scheduled for March 4.
Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on February 12 to suspend the entry into force of the appeal decision, which would have made it possible to set a new date for the start of the trial.
Special prosecutor Jack Smith, who is investigating the case, had on the contrary urged the Supreme Court to reject this suspension request.
He also recommended that she not take up the issue, but if she ever did, to set an accelerated timetable so that, in the event of confirmation of the rejection of Donald Trump's criminal immunity , “the trial can be held with a reduced additional delay”.
In its decision on Wednesday, the Supreme Court partly satisfied Donald Trump by not allowing the appeal decision to take effect until it had ruled itself.
By scheduling the debates for “the week of April 22”, she however grants the special prosecutor's request for an early deadline.
In his written arguments, Jack Smith highlighted the “unique national importance of this criminal case,” in which a former president is “criminally prosecuted for attempting to maintain power by preventing the rightful victor of the election to take office.”
Donald Trump's defense claims “absolute immunity” for his actions while in the White House.
“For the purposes of this criminal case, former President Trump has become Citizen Trump, with the same protections as any other defendant. But any immunity under the executive power, which could have protected him when he was president in office, no longer protects him against these prosecutions,” wrote the three appeals judges in their unanimous decision, confirming the one pronounced in December at first proceedings by Judge Chutkan.
If he were elected again, Donald Trump could, once inaugurated in January 2025, order an end to federal proceedings against him.