WASHINGTON (AP) — The final day of the Supreme Court’s term will be Monday, when it makes a crucial decision on whether the former president Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution for his actions in connection with the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
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When will the court make a decision?
The court generally begins issuing rulings at 10 a.m. ET.
How to follow
Associated Press reporters will live blog the morning of the polls. You can find it at apnews.com.
Why it matters
The opinion will decide whether Trump, the first ex-president to face criminal charges, will stand trial in Washington.
The court’s handling of the issue has already drawn criticism, including questions about whether it was necessary to hear the case, given that a federal appeals court had dismissed the case and it had not yet been decided.
The Supreme Court has moved much more swiftly in other epic cases involving presidential power, including the Watergate tapes. Nearly 50 years ago, just 16 days after hearing arguments, the court ruled that Richard Nixon must turn over tapes of Oval Office conversations by an 8-0 decision, rejecting his claim to executive privilege.
The current Supreme Court took less than a month to unanimously rule that the constitutional “insurrection clause” created after the Civil War could not be used by states to bar Trump from running for president.
Even if the court goes against Trump, the timing of the decision means Trump may not face trial before the 2024 election. If he is re-elected, he could appoint a new attorney general, who could have the case dismissed.
How will Trump-appointed judges rule?
The nine-member court now includes three conservative justices appointed by Trump and two other conservative justices who have rejected calls to recuse themselves from the Jan. 6 cases over concerns about their impartiality.
Social media cases
The justices have three other cases scheduled for Monday, including another major case involving social media laws in Texas and Florida that could impose restrictions on how platforms regulate posted content. Both laws were intended to address conservative complaints that social media companies were liberally oriented and censored users based on their views, especially on the political right.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court.
