While the presidential primaries are in full swing and former U.S. President Donald Trump destroys all of his opponents, he is in the middle of tens of legal battles in numerous states. So far, Donald J. Trump has been sued in New York and indicted in Georgia, Florida, Manhattan, and Washington, as federal and state prosecutors elsewhere have opened a number of investigations. We should also add the states of Colorado and Maine, where Trump was removed from the primaries ballot, and the latest to join this list is Illinois.
Extending the legal cases is in Trump’s favor
Trump is trying to prolong these legal battles for as long as possible. He appealed literally every ruling against him. In what appears to be the most important one, Trump is waiting on the U.S. Supreme Court decision where he filed an appeal on February 12, just days after the D.C. Circuit Court rejected Trump’s claims that he cannot be prosecuted for his official acts as president and that a former president cannot be prosecuted unless he has first been impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate.
Trump’s case was not on the upcoming Supreme Court’s schedule released recently
A few days ago, the U.S. Supreme Court revealed their upcoming schedule, and Trump’s case was not on it. While some believed that the Supreme Court gave Trump a temporary present, a former federal prosecutor believed that the Supreme Court would likely reject Trump’s case. But none of that matters as of Wednesday evening because the Supreme Court officially announced that they will be looking into Trump’s case in what appears to be the first step to his freedom.
The details
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court decided it would look into whether former President Donald Trump can be charged with crimes related to trying to interfere in the federal election. They’ve agreed to put a hold on the case while they figure out if a past president can’t be taken to court for things they did while in power, which is what Trump is arguing.
Trump will have to hand the legal papers in three weeks
They’re planning to move fast on this, with Trump needing to hand in his legal papers in three weeks and the court ready to hear arguments about it during the week of April 22. However, making a decision could take a while, in some cases, several months. If the court decides Trump doesn’t have immunity, the legal battle will pick up again in a Washington, D.C., federal court. This could mean a trial happening right as the presidential race heats up, where Trump is trying to win against Joe Biden.
Six out of nine judges are conservatives and could help Trump in the case
But if the court sides with Trump, they’ll throw out the case. Right now, the Supreme Court has six conservative judges out of nine, thanks to Trump appointing three of them while he was president. A lower appeals court has already turned down Trump’s request previously this month.
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“For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump,” the panel of appeals judges unanimously ruled. “Any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution.”
Jack Smith, the special prosecutor in Washington D.C., wanted the Supreme Court to stop Trump from delaying his trial related to the election interference case.
Trump’s lawyers, however, wanted the court to hear them out. They claimed that if a president could be criminally charged, it would change the presidency forever.
Smith accuses Trump of trying to illegally change the outcome of the 2020 election against Biden, using different methods that led to trying to prevent Congress from confirming the Electoral College votes on January 6, 2021.
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Trump has said he didn’t do anything wrong and pleaded not guilty.
