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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Ed Pilkington

Trump the elephant in the room as supreme court hearing strays into the surreal

Woman wearing Statue of Liberty crown holds anti-Trump placard
An anti-Trump protester outside the supreme court on Thursday. Photograph: Bonnie Cash/Reuters

It took two hours and 24 minutes for the elephant in the room to be mentioned at Thursday’s US supreme court hearing. “The special counsel has expressed some concern for speed, and wanting to move forward,” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

That was shorthand for the gargantuan stakes at play in Trump v United States. The court was being asked to consider one of the most consequential prosecutions in US history – the four federal charges brought against former president Donald Trump accusing him of attempting to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election – and whether the case can conceivably go to trial.

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