In a significant blow to former President Donald Trump, an appeals court has delivered a major setback by ruling that he is not immune from prosecution for alleged crimes committed during his presidency aimed at overturning the 2020 election results.
This ruling deals a severe blow to Trump's central defense strategy in the federal election subversion case initiated by Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith. Trump faces multiple charges from the case, including conspiracy to defraud the US and obstructing an official proceeding, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
The appeals court has instituted an expedited schedule for Trump to seek Supreme Court intervention to block the immunity ruling, granting him until Monday to file an emergency stay request. The judges emphasized that no president possesses unchecked authority to infringe upon the voting rights of individual citizens.
In rejecting Trump's claim of presidential immunity in the January 6 case, the appeals court underscored the danger of such assertions to the fundamental balance of power. They warned that embracing Trump's stance would undermine the system of checks and balances by placing the president beyond the reach of all branches of government, including the judiciary and the executive.
Throughout their ruling, Judges J. Michelle Childs, Florence Pan, and Karen LeCraft Henderson strongly criticized Trump's post-election conduct as unbecoming of a president and a direct assault on American institutions. They emphasized that Trump, like any citizen, is subject to the law and must be held accountable for his actions.
The panel of judges highlighted the gravity of Trump's alleged efforts to cling to power despite losing the election, describing it as an unprecedented attack on the government's structure. They firmly asserted that the presidency does not grant immunity from legal consequences, emphasizing that no individual, regardless of their former position, is above the law.
(With Agency Inputs)
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