The Supreme Court is currently in the midst of hearing arguments that could have far-reaching implications for the legal standing of former President Donald Trump. The case at hand involves allegations of Trump’s involvement in a plot to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The crux of the case revolves around the question of whether former presidents can be prosecuted for official acts they took while in office. Trump’s defense team is arguing that only a former president who was impeached and convicted by the Senate can be criminally prosecuted, citing the Impeachment Judgment Clause of the Constitution. However, prosecutors are contending that conviction in the Senate is not a prerequisite for a courtroom prosecution.
The historic session is set to start at 10 a.m. EDT and will be livestreamed on various platforms, including apnews.com/live/trump-supreme-court-arguments-updates, the Supreme Court website, and C-SPAN. The court is expected to discuss the 1982 case Nixon v. Fitzgerald, which held that a former president cannot be sued in civil cases for actions while in office, but did not shield them from criminal liability.
During the session, the justices may present hypothetical scenarios to test the arguments, such as whether a president could be prosecuted for authorizing a drone strike that kills a US citizen. Prosecutors argue that the acts Trump is accused of in this case are personal acts, rather than presidential ones.
The outcome of this case will not only have immediate implications for Trump’s legal standing, but also for the future of former presidents and their accountability for actions taken while in office. Stay tuned for updates on this landmark Supreme Court case.
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