The Supreme Court issued an order giving special counsel Jack Smith up to one week to respond to former President Donald Trump's request to suspend his Jan. 6 federal trial.
The order sets a deadline of next Tuesday at 4 pm for Smith to respond to the emergency motion with which Trump hopes to pause the case to appeal to the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and, if necessary, to the Supreme Court, the ruling that refuses to dismiss his charges based on presidential immunity.
Smith's response timeline is not quick compared to some recent cases, giving him the opportunity for more time to review issues surrounding Trump's immunity. This decision could have a significant impact on the date on which the trial against the former president would take place.
The trial was initially scheduled for March 4, and Smith has made clear that his intention is to quickly bring Trump to trial to avoid the possibility that the former president returns to the White House and can grant himself a pardon or instruct the Department of Justice to drop the case.
Trump's request
The document presented by the Republican candidate's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to intervene, alleging that “presidents have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for their official acts presents a novel, complex and momentous question that warrants careful consideration on appeal.”
Likewise, the former president's lawyers highlighted that Smith's intention to rush the trial shows that the case against Trump has political motives. “Conducting a monthslong criminal trial of President Trump at the height of election season. It will radically disrupt President Trump’s ability to campaign against President Biden — which appears to be the whole point of the special counsel’s persistent demands for expedition," the text states.
