Court expects to rule on Trump’s immunity case as end of term approaches

WASHINGTON (AP) – US Supreme Court justices will take office today to release their latest views on the term, including a closely watched case: whether the former President Donald Trump he has immunity from criminal prosecution for his role in the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol.

The court will also rule on Monday whether state laws that limit how social media platforms regulate content posted by their users violate the Constitution. The immunity case was the last case discussed, on April 25th. The court typically begins issuing opinions at 10 a.m. ET.

Here are the latest:

Key takeaways from arguments over Trump’s immunity claims

In April, the Supreme Court heard more than two and a half hours of arguments on the historic question of whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in a case accusing him of Conspiring to Overturn the 2020 Presidential Election.

Some of the many notable moments included:

Read more main conclusions from oral arguments.

Three additional decisions likely to come today

The judges also have three other cases staying on the agenda Monday, including another high-profile case about social media laws in Texas and Florida that would limit how platforms regulate posted content.

Both laws aimed to respond to conservative complaints that social media companies had liberal leanings and censored users based on their views, especially those on the political right.

The timing of Trump’s immunity decision could be as important as the decision itself

The immunity case was the last case discussed, on April 25. So, in a sense, it’s not unusual for it to be among the last ones decided. But the timing of the court’s ruling on Trump’s immunity could be as important as the eventual ruling.

By holding the case until early July, the justices reduced, if not eliminated, the possibility that Trump would have to be tried before the November election, regardless of what the court decides.

In other epic court cases involving the presidency, including the case of the Watergate tapes, the judges acted much faster. Fifty years ago, the court handed down its ruling forcing President Richard Nixon to turn over recordings of conversations in the Oval Office just 16 days after hearing arguments.

Even during this period, the court reached a decision in less than a month to decide unanimously to Trump that states cannot invoke the post-Civil War insurrection clause to kick him off the ballot due to his refusal to accept Democratic President Joe Biden’s victory four years ago.

Read more about What’s at stake in Trump’s immunity decision.

The Supreme Court nears the end of another important term. A decision on Trump’s immunity approaches

In the last 10 days of June, at a frenetic pace of his own, the Supreme Court touched a wide swath of American society in a torrent of decisions on abortion, guns, the environment, health care, the opioid crisis, securities fraud and homelessness.

And with the court meeting for the final time this term on Monday, an unusual push into July, the most anticipated decision of the term awaits: whether the former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The court will also decide whether state laws that limit how social media platforms regulate content posted by their users violate the Constitution.

Read more about What to Expect When the Supreme Court’s Term Ends.