The latest report from The New York Times details how the U.S. Supreme Court may halt Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump.
Last week, the justices heard oral arguments on Trump’s defense of presidential immunity.
Trump argues that certain charges brought against him by Smith are restricted by presidential immunity, a doctrine shielding presidents from prosecution for official actions.
Unfortunately for Smith, during the oral arguments, the court appeared to favor Trump’s legal team over Smith’s.
The New York Times’ Alan Feuer believes that the Supreme Court “could end up helping Mr. Trump in two ways.”
“The justices signaled that their ruling, when it comes, could lead to some allegations being stripped from the federal indictment charging Mr. Trump with plotting to overturn the 2020 election,” Feuer writes.
He adds, “And because the process of determining which accusations to keep and which to throw away could take several months, it would all but kill the chance of Mr. Trump standing trial on charges that he tried to subvert the last election before voters get to decide whether to choose him again in this one.”
It is widely known that Smith is actively seeking a criminal conviction of Trump before the 2024 presidential election to make it easier for President Joe Biden to campaign against him by labeling him as a convicted felon.
However, if the Supreme Court rules in favor of Trump, Smith and Biden may not achieve their goal.
The justices are not expected to make a decision on this immunity case until the end of their current term, likely in June. During oral arguments, it appeared that a majority of the justices, including Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito, were leaning towards supporting Trump.
They grilled Smith’s legal team with challenging inquiries that indicated their skepticism towards Smith’s claims.
Thomas took it a step further by questioning Smith’s authority to prosecute Trump.
The outcome of this situation is uncertain, but it appears favorable for Trump in the Supreme Court immunity case.
