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Trump immunity hearing: Tough questions as Supreme Court hears both sides - BBC News Trump immunity hearing: Tough questions as Supreme Court hears both sides - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Anthony ZurcherAnthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondentBBC North America correspondent
At least a few justices – perhaps a majority – seem The justices heard today’s arguments on the final day
unconvinced by the arguments of both Donald Trump’s lawyer and the ones made by of the court’s term, so it seems unlikely that they will announce their
the lawyer for the prosecution team. decision until late in their formal session - at the end of
That could lead to a sharply fractured court – or it could June.
open the door for a middle-ground decision that grants former presidents some That’s when the Supreme Court tends to announce its most
immunity for official actions, while allowing prosecution for alleged crimes important – and most controversial – rulings. And at least up until this point,
that fall outside this realm. the court hasn’t seemed to be in any particular hurry to break from tradition
If the court’s final ruling moves in this direction, the key to speed the process along.
will be whether the justices allow Trump’s trial to move forward, leaving the According to University of Pennsylvania law professor Kermit
final determination up to a jury, or require the courts to hash out the specifics Roosevelt, the only way the court might announce a decision earlier is if the
of Trump’s case and possibility immunity before a trial begins. justices are unanimous in their ruling. A divided court takes more time to work
If it’s the former, there’s still a chance that Trump’s through majority opinions and allow dissenting justices to write their
trial could take place before November’s presidential election. responses.
If it’s the If the court issues its ruling in late June, and the
latter, the case could continue to be bogged down in legal wrangling and justices find Trump isn’t immune from prosecution, the earliest his 6 January
appeals for months, if not years, to come. trial could start would be the end of August - just three months out from
November’s presidential election - and trial judge Tanya Chutkan has said she
would give Trump’s legal team several months to prepare, so the trial may not
start until after the election.
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