Supreme Court rejects quick immunity hearing sought by US justice department in win for Trump

The US Supreme Court gave Donald Trump an early Christmas present on Friday, December 22 refusing to step in and make a quick decision about whether the former president enjoys immunity from the federal charges against him for attempting to challenge the 2020 election results.

There were no noted dissents from the unsigned order by the Supreme court, which makes it almost certain that Trump’s trial on four counts will not begin as scheduled for March 4 while the immunity question makes its way through the courts.

Special counsel Jack Smith had requested that the nine justices of the supreme Court immediately “make a decision” on Trump’s immunity, arguing in a Thursday filing that “public interest in a prompt resolution of this case favors an immediate, definitive decision by this Court.”

The favorable ruling for Trump comes as he prepares to appeal a ruling by Colorado’s Supreme Court removing him from the state’s GOP primary ballot over his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which the justices deemed to have violated the Constitution’s Insurrection Clause.

Trump’s trial on the federal election charges was supposed to begin one day before Super Tuesday — a day on the presidential nominating calendar with 16 states holding primaries or caucuses.

The potential delay of Trump’s DC trial means that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s records case against Trump which is related to 2016 hush money payments — may be the first trial in history against an ex-president. That proceeding is currently set to begin March 25.