The Supreme Court rejected on Friday special counsel Jack Smith‘s request for it to fast-track consideration of the debate over whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution.
“The petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment is denied,” the high court said in an order, dealing a blow to Smith’s efforts to maintain a schedule that would have his 2020 election case against Trump in Washington, D.C., go to trial in March.
With the decision, the case remains with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which accepted Smith’s separate request for it to consider the immunity claim on an expedited basis. Oral arguments at the appellate level are scheduled for January 9.
The case will likely make its way back to the Supreme Court eventually, but Smith’s team had asked the high court early last week to review the presidential…
