Special Counsel Jack Smith Makes His Big Move
Asks Supreme Court to Decide Whether Trump Is Immune From Prosecution
Supreme Court Agrees to Expedited Hearing
Special counsel plans to disclose Trump’s phone data at election interference trial (theguardian.com)‘Holy Grail’: CBS Reporter Analyses Trump Cell Phone Data as 'High-Level Piece of Evidence' For Jan. 6 Trial (mediaite.com)
Special counsel prosecutors asked the US supreme court on Monday to make an expedited decision on whether Donald Trump can be criminally prosecuted on federal charges over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The move comes after the federal judge overseeing the case rejected Trump’s arguments that he has absolute immunity from prosecution for acts that occurred while he was president.
Trump challenged the ruling to the DC circuit, but special counsel Jack Smith is now attempting to bypass the appeals court completely by asking the nation’s highest court to decide the matter.
The request was unusual in two ways: Mr. Smith asked the justices to rule before an appeals court acted, and he urged them to move with exceptional speed.
“This case presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy: whether a former president is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office or is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he has been impeached but not convicted before the criminal proceedings begin,” Mr. Smith wrote.
In a brief order issued just hours after Smith’s filing, the court asked Trump’s legal team to respond by Dec. 20. The court also said it would consider on an expedited basis whether to hear the case, an indication that it takes Smith’s request seriously.
It looks likely that We the People will get our right to a speedy and fair trial.
DEVELOPING FAST…