WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday took up Donald Trump’s bid to avoid prosecution over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump’s lawyers argue that former presidents are entitled to absolute immunity for their official acts. Otherwise, they say, politically motivated prosecutions of former occupants of the Oval Office would become routine and presidents couldn’t function as the commander in chief if they had to worry about criminal charges.
Lower courts have rejected those arguments, including a unanimous three-judge panel on an appeals court in Washington. And even if the high court resoundingly follows suit, the timing of its decision may be as important as the outcome.
That’s because Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has been pushing to delay the trial until after the November election, and the later the justices issue their decision, the more likely he is to succeed.
The court typically issues its last opinions by the end of June, which is roughly four months before the election.
Currently:
— What to listen for during Supreme Court arguments on Donald Trump and presidential immunity
— The Supreme Court will decide whether Trump is immune from federal prosecution. Here’s what’s next
— What to know in the Supreme Court case about immunity for former President Trump
— Trump is in New York for the hush money trial while the Supreme Court hears his immunity case in DC
— Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court
Here’s the latest:
ARGUMENTS CONCLUDE
Arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court have ended after more than 2 1/2 hours in Donald Trump’s bid to avoid prosecution over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
The arguments had been scheduled to last for an hour but ran more than double the allotted time.
The case delved deep into the nuances of immunity, and key questions of when the high court might rule remain unclear.
The court usually releases its opinions by the end of June, and the timing of the ruling could be as important as the outcome.
At least five justices appeared likely to reject the claim of absolute immunity, but some also suggested that former presidents might have some immunity.
If their ruling reflects that and requires lower courts to then sort out whether immunity applies to Trump, it could push the…