A Supreme Court decision to enter Donald Trump's immunity case would deny Americans important information about the former president's efforts to fend off a 2020 election loss, a Republican member of the Jan. 6 committee said.
Former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney, who was ousted by primary voters angered by her participation in the hearings that followed the rebellion, demanded that the justices reach a quick conclusion.
A Message sent to XEarlier on Twitter, Cheney, a vocal Trump critic, said voters should make up their minds about the presumptive Republican presidential nominee before going to the polls in November.
“Delaying the January 6 hearing suppresses important evidence that Americans deserve to hear,” he wrote.
“Donald Trump tried to rig the election and seize power. Our justice system should be in place to bring him to justice before the next election. Scotus [supreme court of the US] A decision should be taken immediately in this case.
The justices set Wednesday, April 22, to hear oral arguments on Trump's claim that he cannot be held criminally responsible for the actions he took to thwart Joe Biden's 2020 defeat.
Trump, who faces four counts of impeachment, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct congressional certification of the election results, has declared the decision a victory because it largely stalled the investigation, possibly until after the election.
Meanwhile, some Democrats are excited about it. California Congressman Ted Lieu, who has previously accused Trump of several election crimes, said such a delay would benefit his party at the ballot box.
“My View on SCOTUS Action: If the Hearing Delays After November, We'll See the Biggest Blue Wave in History” He wroteEven in X.
“If the November vote on whether Trump faces impeachment turns out to be a vote, Democrats will completely flip the House, keep the White House and expand the Senate.”
Some legal experts are warning the Supreme Court's move could have consequences for democracy, with delays affecting many legal cases already facing Trump.
While many believe the court will ultimately uphold the Washington DC Court of Appeals' rejection of Trump's claim, they say the delay could be harmful.
“This case is very important in terms of democracy and very compelling with the evidence. It is very difficult in the sense that there will be no ruling on this important issue that cuts to the heart of democracy,” said Carl Tobias, Williams Professor of Law at the University of Richmond and a senior Supreme Court analyst.
“Perhaps the Supreme Court cannot resist, as the highest court in the land, weighing this very important question of presidential immunity, although most people who are clearly looking into it do not believe there is much of an argument for immunity in this context.
“The court could have been perfectly satisfied with the DC Circuit's opinion, which is comprehensive and clear, and there's no reason to take it away. But it's about delay. I don't think anyone really disputes that. Trump's litigants theory throughout his life is that delay is his friend, and it really is. It is conceivable that none of these cases will be decided before the elections.
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In a post on his Truth Community site on Wednesday, Trump said “legal scholars are very grateful for the Supreme Court's decision” and insisted without contradiction that future presidents would fear “false prosecution and retaliation” after he leaves office if he loses.
Trump has spoken openly about “retaliation and retaliation” against political opponents if he is re-elected, and said he would appoint a special prosecutor to “go after” Biden and his family.
Lisa Rubin, a former attorney and legal analyst, said it was “beyond frightening for our country” because the Supreme Court would delay the trial and affect the election.
“I honestly thought there would be enough votes in the court not to take this case, if for no other reason than bad facts make for bad law,” he told MSNBC News. “And the facts here couldn't be worse. If there's one context where you want to determine the limits of presidential immunity, it's not this case.
With oral arguments set for April, a ruling may not be handed down until May.
Alternatively, under special counsel Jack Smith's worst-case scenario, the Supreme Court could wait until the end of its current term in July. That means the start of the trial, which is expected to take up to three months, could be delayed until late September.
Trump's legal strategy is to drop various cases against him after the November election in the hope that a second term will allow him to pardon or appoint a loyal attorney general to drop the charges.
