The US appeals court finds that the former US president is not immune from legal action.
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Donald Trump can be tried for trying to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, rejecting the former president’s claims that he is immune from prosecution.
This is the second time in months that judges have rejected Donald Trump’s immunity arguments and ruled that he can be prosecuted for actions taken while he was in the White House and in the period leading up to January 6 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol.
This decision also opens the way to other appeals by the former Republican president, which could be brought before the Supreme Court of the United States. The trial was originally scheduled for March, but it was postponed last week and the judge did not immediately set a new date.
“We conclude that the interest in criminal accountability, both to the public and to the executive branch, outweighs the potential risks of obstructing presidential action and enabling vexatious litigation.”write the judges.