Supreme Court to release decision on historic Trump immunity claim: Live updates

The US Supreme Court is expected to rule on Monday on whether or not Donald Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The former president’s defense has already been shot down by the federal judge overseeing the election interference case brought against him by special counsel Jack Smith, as well as by a unanimous panel of appeals court judges, the latter writing that Trump’s attempts to stay in power after losing the vote to Joe Biden four years ago represented “an unprecedented assault on the structure of our government.”

The question is now in the hands of the nation’s highest court.

Its answer could have profound consequences for holding former presidents accountable for crimes committed while occupying the White House.

But the court’s decision to take up the case – and to wait until the final day of its current session to issue a ruling – ensures that voters will not see a verdict in the case against Trump for unlawfully conspiring to overturn the last election before they cast their ballots in the next one this November.

The Supreme Court’s decision to narrow how Jan 6 defendants may be charged with “obstruction of an official proceeding” will likely only impact a small number of convicted rioters.

“The decision will not have tremendous significance in the January 6 cases, including that of former president Trump, because in almost all cases there are other charges that have a felony status alongside the obstruction charge,” said William Banks, a professor at Syracuse University College of Law.

The Supreme Court’s ruling will likely not affect most Trump and January 6 defendant’s cases — but some will still have grounds for appeals