WASHINGTON (AP) — The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will take their seats today to release their last few opinions of the term, including a closely watched case: whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from criminal prosecution for his role in the January 6 presidential elections. 2021, riot at the US Capitol.
The court will also decide Monday whether state laws that limit how social media platforms regulate the content posted by their users are unconstitutional. The immunity case was the last to be argued, on April 25. The court typically begins issuing opinions at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.
Here’s the latest news:
Three additional rulings are likely to follow today
The justices have three other cases on their agenda for Monday, including another major case involving social media laws in Texas and Florida that restrict how platforms regulate posted content.
Both laws were intended to address the complaints of conservatives. They argued that social media companies were liberal and censored users based on their views, especially those on the political right.
The timing of Trump’s immunity ruling could be as important as the ruling itself
The immunity case was the last case heard, on April 25. So in a way, it’s not unusual for it to be one of the last to be decided. But the timing of the court’s ruling on Trump’s immunity could be just as important as the final ruling.
By holding the case until early July, the justices have reduced, if not eliminated, the chance that Trump will face trial before the November election, regardless of what the court decides.
In other epic trials involving the presidency, including the Watergate tapes case, the judges acted much more quickly. Fifty years ago, the court ruled and forced President Richard Nixon to turn over recordings of Oval Office conversations just sixteen days after hearing arguments.
Even this term, the court reached a decision in less than a month, unanimously ruling for Trump that states cannot invoke the post-Civil War insurrection clause to kick him off the ballot for his refusal to accept Democratic President Joe Biden’s victory four years ago.
▶ Read more about the stakes of the ruling on Trump’s immunity.
The Supreme Court is nearing the end of another momentous term. A decision on Trump’s immunity is coming
In the last 10 days of June, the Supreme Court has hit a wide swath of American society at a breakneck pace with a flurry of decisions on abortion, guns, the environment, health, the opioid crisis, securities fraud and homelessness.
And with the final court hearing of the semester taking place on Monday, unusual for a July hearing, the most anticipated decision of the semester is yet to come: whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for his role in the U.S. riots Capitol on January 6, 2021.
The court will also decide whether state laws that impose restrictions on how social media platforms regulate content posted by their users violate the Constitution.
▶ Learn more about what to expect as the Supreme Court term ends.
