Federal prosecutors asked the US Supreme Court on Monday to rule quickly on whether former president Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution so his trial on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election can go ahead as scheduled.
Special Counsel Jack Smith said in a filing to the nation’s highest court that the case presents a fundamental question at the heart of the nation’s democracy: whether a former President is immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office.
Smith asked the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, including three justices nominated by Trump, for an expedited ruling.
The Supreme Court said it would expedite consideration of Smith’s petition that it take up the case, and asked Trump’s attorneys to state by December 20 their position on the special counsel’s request.
The former Republican president’s historic trial is scheduled to begin in Washington on March 4, 2024.
Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly sought to delay the trial until after the November 2024 election including with a claim that a former president enjoys “absolute immunity” and cannot be prosecuted for actions he took while in the White House.
