D.C. appeals court says Trump can be sued for Jan. 6 Capitol riot

A three-judge appeals court panel in Washington, D.C., on Friday ruled that presidential immunity does not prevent Capitol Police officers and federal lawmakers from suing former President Donald Trump over the Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021. Trump had argued that presidential immunity protected him from the civil lawsuits alleging he incited the riots. The appeals court said he could still use that defense later in court, but his claims to presidential immunity would not prevent the lawsuits from moving forward at this point.

What about Trump’s other election-related cases? On Friday, Trump’s attorneys in Fulton County, Ga., argued that they should be granted access to information held by U.S. Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith. The former president’s team argued the information could be related to charges by Fulton County prosecutors, who argued the two cases are separate but parallel. Trump’s attorneys also argue the indictment against him should be dropped since it abridges his First Amendment right to make claims about the legitimacy of the 2020 election in Georgia.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Stew about thousands of hours of Jan. 6 footage released by House Speaker Mike Johnson.