Donald Trump wins. On the one hand, he continues to sweep the Republican primaries for the presidential nomination that will likely be decided on the so-called Super Tuesday two days later, when fifteen states will vote. On the other hand, the Supreme Court this week took a decision that is considered a gift to him and his efforts to postpone the trial of his alleged conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential elections, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden.
By agreeing to hear his immunity case in late April, the nine justices on the nation's highest court, three of whom were appointed by Trump himself, further complicated the possibility of a ruling or even a trial in the case before the court. Presidential elections next November.
Two lower courts and many experts believe that the near-total immunity claimed by Trump has no basis in the country's constitution. However, the Supreme Court made it clear that it wanted to have its say no matter how helpful the former president was. Not only did they believe that a matter like this should be decided by them, they also wanted to limit it. They will then determine “the extent to which a former president enjoys presidential immunity from criminal proceedings for conduct allegedly involving official acts during his term.”
But their thinking does not exempt them from criticism. Many citizens consider the decisions of the Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority, to be politicized and benefit Trump. In fact, a record 60% of Americans disapprove of his job according to the latest polls, though his low popularity is largely due to his nationwide repeal of abortion rights in June of 2022.
If the Supreme Court ultimately finds that Trump is not immune from the election conspiracy charges against him, the former president could still face trial in late September or October, but the court's decision must come before June 1. Therefore, Trump may face trial in the middle of the election campaign, a situation that many consider unthinkable.
In this case and the three other cases against him, his strategy of seeking judicial delay worked to his advantage. The trial in the case related to his alleged illegal possession of secret documents, presided over by a Trump-appointed Florida judge, was scheduled to begin on May 20, but his lawyers have asked to postpone it until after the election and all indications are that they will do so. It succeeds, at least, in postponing it until the end of the summer. In the Georgia case in which Trump and eighteen other people were accused of interfering in the election, they asked to dismiss it because of the romantic relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and the prosecutor in the case, which halted the trial.
The only thing that seems to be moving forward is the case of his alleged bribery of a porn actress during the 2016 elections. The trial is scheduled to begin on March 25 and may end at the end of May. According to many critics, it is the most flexible, and it may also give Trump ammunition to continue to assert that he is a victim of the witch hunt, because it is being held in New York, a Democratic stronghold.
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