SC Lets Appeals Court Rule On Trump Immunity Suit

The Supreme Court has declined for now to take up a landmark case over whether former President Donald Trump is absolutely immune from prosecution for alleged crimes committed while he was in office, a move that allows the appeals process to play out first, Melissa Quinn and Robert Legare reported for CBS News.

The high court's rejection paves the way for the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rule first on whether the former president can be prosecuted for allegedly attempting to thwart the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 presidential election. I Photo: AgnosticPreachersKid Wikimedia Commons

The court issued a one-line, unsigned order denying the request from special counsel Jack Smith: "The petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment is denied." There were no noted dissents.

The Supreme Court's decision Friday is a blow to Smith and his team of prosecutors, who have pushed the courts to move quickly to hold trials in the Washington case and the second prosecution in Florida before the presidential election swings into full gear.

Trump's attorneys, meanwhile, have urged the courts to delay the trials until after the election.

The high court's rejection paves the way for the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to rule first on whether the former president can be prosecuted for allegedly attempting to thwart the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 presidential election.

The move does not preclude the losing party — Trump or Smith — from seeking the Supreme Court's review again after the appeals court makes its determination. 

WEEKLY FEATURE : Jose Mari Chan And The Christmas Anthem