Supreme Court rejects special counsel request to intervene in Trump immunity appeal

The Supreme Court on Friday declined to immediately intervene in a legal dispute over former President Donald Trump's claims of presidential immunity and will instead permit an appeals court to first consider the matter.

There were no noted dissents among the justices, The Hill reported.

At issue are Trump's immunity claims in Special counsel Jack Smith's election case. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected his arguments earlier this month, prompting Trump to appeal and Smith to petition the justices for intervention. 

Smith had asked the Supreme Court to take up the case and skip the appeals court, which the Trump team insisted was a partisan effort to keep his prosecution on schedule amid the presidential election.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear the matter on Jan. 9. Chutkan has paused proceedings in the case while the appeals process plays out.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.