The United States' Supreme Court, without an explanation or any dissents, has rejected special counsel Jack Smith's request to expedite arguments on former president Donald Trump's immunity from federal prosecution for alleged crimes he committed during office.
The court's recent decision on Friday, which could delay Trump's trial, is a significant setback for Smith, who requested the justices to bypass a federal appeals court and swiftly resolve a crucial issue in his election subversion criminal case against Trump, CNN reported.
In urging the court to not take the case, Trump’s attorneys argued the special counsel was trying to "rush to decide the issues with reckless abandon."
"The fact that this case arises in the vortex of political dispute warrants caution, not haste," Trump attorneys wrote in court papers.
Following the Supreme Court’s rejection, Trump continued to insist he has immunity from federal prosecution, as he took to social media on Friday and wrote: "I was President, it was my right and duty to investigate and speak on, the rigged and stolen 2020 Presidential Election.
"Looking forward to the very important arguments on Presidential Immunity in front of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals!"
The decision follows Trump's team's request to review District Judge Tanya Chutkan's immunity ruling, which rejected Trump's attorney's argument that the criminal indictment should be dismissed.
The judge has paused all procedural deadlines in the case while the appeal plays out but Smith’s team sought to bypass the appeals court’s review of the matter by having the justices step in now.
"It is of imperative public importance that respondent’s claims of immunity be resolved by this Court and that respondent’s trial proceed as promptly as possible if his claim of immunity is rejected," Smith’s team wrote in its petition to the Supreme Court.
Prosecutors are also seeking the court to determine if Trump is protected by double jeopardy, as his defence lawyers argue that due to his impeachment trial acquittal, he cannot be criminally tried again for the same alleged actions.
Meanwhile, Smith had pushed back strongly on Trump’s claim that prosecutors were trying to unfairly rush him to trial this March, writing that those claims "are unfounded and incorrect."
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