What to Watch: The Supreme Court’s decision on Trump immunity is expected Monday
WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — The last day of the Supreme Court’s term It will be Monday when it makes a crucial decision on whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution for his actions in connection with the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol.
Here’s what you can watch:
The court generally begins issuing opinions at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Associated Press reporters will be live blogging the morning of the polls. You can find it at apnews.com.
The opinion will decide whether Trump, the first ex-president to face criminal charges, will stand trial in Washington.
The courts handling of the matter has already sparked criticism, including questions about whether it was necessary to raise the issue at all, since a federal appeals court dismissed the case, and more recently because it has not yet been decided.
The Supreme Court has acted much more quickly in other epic cases involving the president’s power, including the Watergate tapes case. Nearly fifty years ago, just sixteen days after hearing arguments, the court ruled 8-0 that Richard Nixon must turn over recordings of Oval Office conversations, rejecting his claim to executive privilege.
The current composition of the Supreme Court lasted less than a month to rule unanimously that the post-Civil War “insurrection clause” could not be used by states to remove Trump from the presidential election.
Even if the court goes against Trump, the timing of the decision means Trump may not face trial before the 2024 election. If he is re-elected, he could appoint a new attorney general, who could have the case dismissed.
The nine-member court now includes three conservative justices appointed by Trump and two other conservative justices who rejected calls to withdraw from the Jan. 6 trials over questions about their impartiality.
The judges have three other cases still on the agenda Monday, including another major case involving social media laws in Texas and Florida that could impose restrictions on how platforms regulate posted content. Both laws were intended to address conservative complaints that social media companies were liberally oriented and censored users based on their views, especially on the political right.
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