Supreme Court will hear Trump’s ‘immunity’ claim in election conspiracy case

The US Supreme Court will hear a case from Donald Trump after federal court judges rejected his “immunity” defense from criminal charges stemming from his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

An order from the nation’s highest court on Wednesday comes after Mr Trump’s legal team argued in front of the justices for a separate case, one that challenges a Colorado court ruling that disqualifies him from 2024 ballots.

His attorneys will now be headed right back to court on 22 April for another major constitutional question over his “immunity” defence – smack in the middle of a primary election calendar and Mr Trump’s busy schedule of multiple criminal and civil cases.

Progress in the election conspiracy case under special counsel Jack Smith has effectively been ground to a halt with Mr Trump’s ongoing appeal of a central question in the case, one that has so far been shot down at both the appeals court and by thefederal judge overseeing the case.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday did not express any views about the case, but ordered the appeals court to withhold its order until a final word from the justices.

Mr Trump’s briefs are due no later than 19 March, and responses from special counsel Jack Smith’s team are due no later than 8 April, with oral arguments before the justices scheduled for 22 April.

A ruling would likely come in June or July.

The timeline suggests that a criminal trial against Mr Trump – on charges connected to his attempts to overturn 2020 election results, and his failure to stop a mob from storming the US Capitol to do it by force – may not materialise until later this summer, or after the 2024 election, raising the prospect of a president-elect on trial, or the possibility