The Supreme Court declined prosecutors’ request to intervene in the dispute over former President Donald Trump’s presidential immunity Friday, a decision that could derail a planned March trial on charges tied to Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election.
Friday’s unexplained order leaves the case at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which has scheduled oral arguments next month on Trump’s argument that his presidency shields him from charges connected to his effort to subvert the 2020 result.
Special counsel John L. “Jack” Smith asked the justices to intervene earlier this month, arguing that allowing Trump’s appeal to play out would put the March trial date at risk and allow Trump to use the court process to delay justice.