The U.S. Supreme Court denied Special Counsel Jack Smith's request to expedite a hearing on whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in the federal case that accuses him of trying to overturn the 2020 election results.
The high court did not give a reason for denying the request, which is not uncommon.
Trump urged the Supreme Court to wait for a decision from a lower appeals court in Washington, which is already considering the same question. Arguments in the case scheduled to begin on Jan. 9.
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Smith had wanted to bypass the appeals court, likely assuming the decision would be appealed to the Supreme Court by either side.
However, Trump attorneys cautioned about rushing the process.
“Importance does not automatically necessitate speed. If anything, the opposite is usually true. Novel, complex, sensitive, and historic issues — such as the existence of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts — call for more careful deliberation, not less," Trump's lawyers wrote in a response to the filing with the Supreme Court.
The decision by the Supreme Court could delay a trial in the case. Prosecutors had hoped to take the case to trial before the 2024 presidential election.
Trump is the front-runner for the Republican nomination. If he wins the 2024 election, federal cases involving Trump would likely go away.
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