Supreme Court set to rule on Trump immunity in election interference case

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday is expected to issue its long-anticipated ruling on whether former President Donald Trump can claim immunity from prosecution for at least some of his actions in seeking to overturn the 2020 election.

Chief Justice John Roberts announced Friday that Monday would be the last day of rulings in the current nine-month court term, with the Trump case one of four yet to be decided.

The rulings will be issued one by one, starting at 10:00 a.m., with the Trump case likely to be the last.

The court has already faced fierce criticism from the left — both for hearing the Trump case in the first place, thereby preventing a trial from taking place in March, and for taking so long to decide it, making it difficult if not impossible for a trial to begin before the election.

Trump faces a four-count indictment for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, in which a mob of his supporters sought to prevent Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s election.

But time is running short for a trial to take place before November’s election, in which Trump is seeking to regain power.

Even if the Supreme Court on Monday rejects all of Trump’s immunity arguments and says a trial can take place, it could likely not begin until September.

Based on the timeline established before the appeals process began, it could take three months after the Supreme Court ruling to begin a trial, which could last up to 12 weeks.

The legal question before the court is “whether and if so to what extent does a former president enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office,” the order