According to Trump’s legal team, the Supreme Court should step aside from the case concerning whether or not the former president may face charges related to his plan to reverse the 2020 election results.
Last week, the prosecutorial team led by special counsel Jack Smith sought the United States Supreme Court to swiftly review Trump’s assertions that he is immune from prosecution due to his status as a former president. The unusually quick request for a judgment seemed to be an attempt to forestall any kind of postponement of the trial of the leading Republican candidate for president in 2024, which is now scheduled to begin on March 4, until after the presidential election next year.
On Wednesday, the Trump team informed the justices in court documents that Smith should not be allowed to bypass the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit to determine the crucial question, continuing his legal strategy in the case that has been chiefly efforts to postpone the proceedings.
The legal team representing Trump argued before the Supreme Court that the case did not warrant immediate consideration since a Washington state lower appeals court was currently deliberating on the same issue and had set arguments for January 9.
On a related matter, the court is considering Trump’s contention that he cannot face legal consequences for previously impeached actions and then be cleared by Congress. The Supreme Court has not yet announced its final decision, but it has hinted that it would make a swift determination on whether or not to consider the case.
Following that, Trump’s team filed an appeal with the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. However, special counsel Smith made the unprecedented move of seeking to hear the case directly by the Supreme Court, sidestepping the appeals court.
