The entire procedure for this trial, initially scheduled to start on March 4 and postponed indefinitely, has therefore been suspended for four months. The slim chances that it can still begin before the November 5 election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden depend entirely on the scope and wording of the decision of the nine judges.
In particular, they could refer the case back to lower courts to determine which acts are likely to escape prosecution, which would inevitably lead to further delays, while the organisation of the trial, once the suspension is lifted, is expected to take more than two months.
During the arguments, while the justices were generally skeptical of the absolute immunity claimed by the Republican candidate, several, particularly among conservatives, insisted on the long-term repercussions of their decision. “We are writing a rule for posterity,” observed Neil Gorsuch, referring to the unprecedented nature of the issue. “This case has enormous implications for the future of the presidency and the country,” added his colleague Brett Kavanaugh.
Federal Prosecutions Halted in Election Event
Targeted by four separate criminal proceedings, Donald Trump is pulling out all the stops to go to trial as late as possible, in any case after the presidential election. He was found guilty on May 30 by the New York courts of “aggravated false accounting to conceal a conspiracy to pervert the 2016 election.” He will be sentenced on July 11.
