Presidential Accountability on Trial: Supreme Court Weighs Potential Immunity in Landmark Case
By: Evie Grossman
In the midst of Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial, the Supreme Court heard a case on Thursday regarding potential immunity for the former President. Trump is currently facing four indictments in four separate cities; among these include an indictment for his alleged interference in the 2020 federal election, in which prosecutors claim that he promoted blatantly false information in hopes of overturning Biden’s win of the electorate.
Because the alleged actions took place during Trump’s tenure as President, his lawyers contend that he should be granted executive immunity, arguing that his actions are included in “official conduct.” However, the manner in which the case unfolded Thursday seems to refute this claim.
Mr. Trump’s legal team, led by D. John Sauer, attempted to convince the Justices that Mr. Trump was working to "defend the integrity of the federal election". Despite this, Mr. Sauer was forced to concede that certain actions taken by the former President –such as directing his private lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, to promote false claims of election fraud– fall under the private domain.
Although some argue that this case is simply political, the Justices see the stakes as reaching far beyond Trump’s tenure. Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh reiterated multiple times on Thursday that their decision regarding criminal law and its application to the executive would have important implications for all future Presidents.
Ultimately, following almost three hours of arguments, liberal and conservative Justices alike indicated that they would likely reject Trump’s claims of complete executive immunity. There was division across ideological lines, with some Justices inquiring about potential partial immunity; however, the sweeping claim seemed to be widely rejected. Due to the relevance of the case in light of the impending election, the Supreme Court is expected to issue a concrete ruling on an expedited timeline, likely in late June or early July.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/25/supreme-court-trump-immunity-case/
https://apnews.com/projects/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/26/us/politics/trump-supreme-court-immunity.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/25/us/politics/trump-supreme-court-whats-next.html
