What to know about Trumps high-stakes presidential immunity case before Supreme Court

The last case the Supreme Court justices will hear of their 2023-24 term is the most significant, as former President Donald Trump will argue that he enjoys immunity from prosecution on charges he unlawfully conspired to remain in power after his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election.Apart from its effect on the 2024 election, the case carries far-reaching implications that could dramatically alter the scope of presidential power for decades to come.“WITHOUT PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY, IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR A PRESIDENT TO PROPERLY FUNCTION, PUTTING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN GREAT AND EVERLASTING DANGER!” Trump, 77, warned on Truth Social last week in one of his many posts about the case.Here’s what you need to know before oral arguments commence Thursday.On Aug.

1 of last year, special counsel Jack Smith lodged a four-count criminal indictment against Trump accusing him of making “knowingly false” claims of voter fraud and conspiring to prevent the tallying and certification of lawful Electoral College votes.Lawyers for Trump, however, have argued that the 45th president was merely carrying out his duty as president to safeguard the election.By that theory, actions such as Trump’s infamous Jan.

2, 2021, phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — in which the president implored election officials to “find” the 11,780 votes needed to reverse his loss — were completely lawful.“The text of the Impeachment Judgment Clause confirms the original meaning of the Executive Vesting Clause—i.e., that current and former Presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for official acts,” Trump’s attorneys wrote in a March brief.Smith’s team has vehemently disputed that assertion, saying in their response brief that an “alleged criminal scheme to overturn an election and thwart the peaceful transfer of power to his lawfully elected successor is the paradigmatic example of conduct that should not be immunized, even if o...