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The U.S. Supreme Court justices will take the bench 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 Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The court also will decide on Monday whether state laws limiting how social media platforms regulate content posted by their users violate the Constitution. The immunity case was the last case argued, on April 25. The court typically begins issuing opinions at 10 a.m. Eastern Time.
Why it matters
The opinion decides whether Trump, the first ex-president to face criminal charges, stands trial in Washington.
The court’s handling of the issue already has provoked criticism, including questions about whether it was necessary to take up the issue at all, given that a federal appeals court rejected it, and more recently that it has not yet been decided.
The Supreme Court has acted far more speedily in other epic cases involving presidential power, including in the Watergate tapes case. Nearly 50 years ago, the court ruled 8-0 a mere 16 days after hearing arguments that Richard Nixon had to turn over recordings of Oval Office conversations, rejecting his claim of executive privilege.
The current high court makeup took less than a month to rule unanimously that the Constitution’s post-Civil War “insurrection clause” couldn’t be used by states to kick Trump off the presidential ballot.
Even if the court sides against Trump, the timing of its decision means Trump may not stand trial before the 2024 election. If he is elected again, he could appoint a new attorney general, who could have the case dismissed.
How will Trump-appointed justices rule?
The nine-member court now includes three conservative justices appointed by Trump and two other conservative justices who have rejected calls to step away from the Jan. 6 cases because of questions about their impartiality.
Social media cases
The justices also have three other cases remaining on the docket Monday, including another major case over social media laws in Texas and Florida that could limit how platforms regulate content posted. Both laws aimed to address conservative complaints that the social media companies were liberal-leaning and censored users based on their viewpoints, especially on the political righ
by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
