Trump has chosen not to request the justices to overturn a December federal appeals court decision rejecting his assertion that presidents are completely immune from legal action while in office.
This indicates that at least three lawsuits filed against him after January 6 may move on to the next stage, which will involve gathering information about Trump's activities on that day, whether they were political or official in nature.
The lawsuits, which Congressmen and police officers who were injured in the attack brought, have been pending since 2021 but were postponed in response to Trump's request that the courts declare him immune from legal action.
That means that for the time being, a court decision in Washington, D.C., that found Trump could face legal action for his role on January 6 will be upheld. Trump's remarks to supporters on January 6 are said to have been made in his capacity as a candidate for reelection rather than his official role as president, according to the unanimous decision of the three-judge panel, which included the judge Trump nominated.
Trump had until Thursday to file a Supreme Court appeal in order to stop the impact of the appeals court ruling in those cases, as agreed upon with the plaintiffs. As of Thursday night, none had been filed, and his assistants said none were anticipated.
However, according to Trump's allies, he is opening the door for later challenges to the decision. After the final round of fact-finding and the trial judge's decision on whether the cases can proceed, he might try another appeal.
According to Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, “President Trump will continue to fight for Presidential Immunity across the spectrum.”
In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case brought by another criminal defendant on January 6 that could disprove two of Trump's charges in the election-subversion indictment that was filed against him last year.
In light of Trump's assertion that presidents are generally immune from criminal prosecution over matters even remotely related to their official duties, the justices could debate whether to postpone that trial on Friday at a conference.
