Donald Trump’s lawyers claim Jack Smith has « no compelling reason » to speed up the former president’s appeal.
Donald Trump’s lawyers have used prior Supreme Court cases in their push to discredit Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith’s request to speed up the former president’s appeal in his federal election subversion case.
Trump is entangled in a slew of criminal charges, all to which he has pleaded not guilty. One federal case against Trump, filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, D.C., stems from Smith’s investigation into the January 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump’s legal team tried to stop the federal election subversion trial, scheduled to begin March 4, by claiming that Trump has presidential immunity. However, Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the case, ruled earlier this month that just because Trump held presidential office at the time does not mean he is now immune from prosecution.
Trump appealed Chutkan’s ruling, but Smith has asked for the Supreme Court to hear the appeal, bypassing the routine step in the court system to have a federal appellate court hear the case, in an effort to maintain the March 4 trial date.
