BREAKING: SCOTUS to hear arguments on presidential immunity in Trump J6 case

On Wednesday, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear former President Donald Trump's presidential immunity claims in the Jan. 6 election interference case, according to NBC News.

The High Court stated in an order that it would issue a ruling on the immunity claim after hearing arguments. SCOTUS will hear the case the week of April 22.

Since the case is currently pending, a trial cannot take place, which put a significant roadblock in Biden's Special Counsel Jack Smith's plans to try and convict Trump before the presidential election in November.

On Feb. 6, the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled against Trump, stating that he does not have presidential immunity in the January 6 case against him. Trump filed an emergency request at the Supreme Court on Feb. 12 which prevented the court of appeals ruling from taking effect.

Trump expressed his gratitude to the Supreme Court for taking up his case, arguing in a statement that it's crucial for presidents to have immunity.

"Without Presidential Immunity, a President will not be able to properly function, or make decisions, in the best interest of the United States of America. Presidents will always be concerned, and even paralyzed, by the prospect of wrongful prosecution and retaliation after they leave office. This could actually lead to the extortion and blackmail of a President," said Trump.

"The other side would say, 'If you don't do something, just the way we want it, we are going to go after you when you leave office, or perhaps even sooner.' A President has to be free to determine what is right for our Country without undue pressure. If there is no Immunity, the Presidency, as we know it, will "no longer exist," he continued.

"Many actions for the benefit of our Country will not be taken. This is in no way what the Founders had in mind. Legal Experts and Scholars have stated that the President must have Full Presidential Immunity. A President must be free to make proper decisions. His mind must be clear, and he must not be guided by the fear of retribution!" said Trump.

Trump stated in the filing on Feb. 12 that "presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for their official acts presents a novel, complex and momentous question that warrants careful consideration on appeal."
 

The trial, which was set to begin on March 4 but has been put on hold through the appeals process, could now begin in the middle of the 2024 election campaign or even past the election, which takes place in less than 8 months.

The appeals court judges wrote in the ruling that three separate immunity arguments made by Trump’s team were rejected "both as a categorical defense to federal criminal prosecutions of former Presidents and as applied to this case in particular."

"For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant," the panel wrote.

"But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution."

The Supreme Court in December declined to take up the case at the request of special counsel Jack Smith, who urged the court to rule fast on the case as Trump was moving his appeal through the appeals court.

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