Trump requests presidential immunity from appeals court

Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers in a court filing on Saturday argued that their client acted within the outer limits of his duties as a president when he questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear arguments ahead of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on the question of whether Trump is immune from prosecution. Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith had requested the high court rule ahead of the appeals court so as not to delay the case’s March 4 trial date.

How have judges responded to this argument so far? District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan has already ruled that Trump’s actions are not protected from prosecution. Chutkan is set to oversee Trump’s federal Washington, D.C. trial regarding alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The appeals court is set to hear oral arguments on Jan. 9. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Dig deeper: Read Joseph Backholm’s column in WORLD Opinions about how Trump’s legal troubles have boosted his campaign numbers.