“Former presidents enjoy no special conditions on their federal criminal liability,” Chutkan wrote in her Dec. She already has rejected the Trump team’s arguments that an ex-president could not be prosecuted over acts that fall within the official duties of the job. Special counsel Jack Smith had cautioned that even a rapid appellate decision might not get to the Supreme Court in time for review and final word before the court’s traditional summer break. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which has signaled it will act quickly to decide the case. The issue will now be decided by the U.S. It averts a swift ruling from the nation’s highest court that could have definitively turned aside his claims of immunity and further throws into doubt the possibility of the landmark trial proceeding as scheduled on March 4. The ruling is a scheduling win for Trump and his lawyers, who have sought repeatedly to delay the criminal cases against him as he campaigns to reclaim the White House in 2024. WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court said Friday it will not immediately take up a plea by special counsel Jack Smith to rule on whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted for his actions to overturn the 2020 election results. By MARK SHERMAN and ERIC TUCKER (Associated Press)
