The Supreme Court has been asked to weigh in on a question that will decide if the former president faces charges for efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The Supreme Court has been asked to weigh in on a question that will decide if the former president faces charges for efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

WASHINGTON (CN) — The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to review a fast-tracked petition asking if Donald Trump can use his status as a former president to claim immunity from criminal charges related to his effort to overturn the 2020 election.

The order came only hours after Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the justices to expedite consideration of Trump’s presidential immunity claim in his D.C. prosecution for election interference leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. The decision is not an agreement to hear Smith’s case, but rather an agreement to review his petition faster than normal.

  • RunningInRVA@lemmy.world
    71·
    1 year ago

    Yes, but they are deciding whether he can be held criminally liable while in office, which he was on 1/6/21.

    • kescusay@lemmy.world
      181·
      1 year ago

      That’s still deciding if former presidents are kings or not. If former presidents are shielded by their former office against any crime they did while in office, Biden could take out a gun and shoot Trump at a debate, declare himself the winner, and march off stage with no post-presidency repercussions. It’s basically a license to commit literally all the crimes.

      • RunningInRVA@lemmy.world
        4·
        1 year ago

        That’s fair, but I think it is worth noting that former presidents can commit crimes both in office and after their term. This particular former president has done both it would seem, so that’s another reason to be clear about what is being judged. In this case it is for crimes while in office.