Former US President Donald Trump asks SC to delay hearing case on 2020 election immunity claim

Last week, Special Counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether Trump is immune from criminal prosecution on charges of plotting to overthrow the 2020 election. Smith said it was of imperative public importance that Trump's claims of immunity be resolved by the Supreme Court so that his trial can proceed as quickly as possible.

"The petition for writ of certiorari before judgment should be denied," Trump's legal team said in a court filing in response on Wednesday.

The filing challenged the special counsel's plea for "extraordinary haste," saying that such matters should be decided with caution and deliberation, not at "breakneck speed."

Trump's attorneys in the filing also criticized what the special counsel called the "public interest," saying Smith was acting out of "partisan interest" by trying to ensure that Trump will be subjected to a months-long criminal trial at the height of a presidential campaign in which he is the "leading candidate" and the "only serious opponent" of the current administration.

Trump's trial is set to begin on March 4, 2024, but legal appeals are threatening to delay the proceedings. Trump's lawyers have been seeking to postpone his trial until after the 2024 election.