Supreme Court to decide Trump immunity claim in 2020 election case
The US supreme court has agreed to decide Donald Trump’s claim of immunity from prosecution on charges brought by a special counsel involving his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
The justices’ order maintains a hold on preparations for a trial focused on Trump’s efforts to overturn his election loss.
The court has agreed to expedite the case and hear arguments the week of 22 April. A decision is likely to come no later than the end of June.
BREAKING: US Supreme Court agrees to hear Trump immunity claim in the federal 2020 election interference case, oral argument set for April 22 pic.twitter.com/Lm58G1jI1v
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) February 28, 2024
Key events
The White House’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, has responded to the announcement by top congressional leaders that they have reached a deal to prevent a government shutdown.
In a statement posted to social media, she said:
As the President and Congressional leaders made clear at yesterday’s meeting, we cannot allow a government shutdown. The bipartisan agreement announced today would help prevent a needless shutdown while providing more time to work on bipartisan appropriations bills and for the House to pass the bipartisan national security supplemental as quickly as possible.
As the President and Congressional leaders made clear at yesterday’s meeting, we cannot allow a government shutdown. The bipartisan agreement announced today would help prevent a needless shutdown while providing more time to work on bipartisan appropriations bills and for the… https://t.co/Yo8PnekSiV
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) February 28, 2024
Senate Republicans have blocked legislation that would guarantee Americans’ access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) despite widespread backlash to a recent ruling by the Alabama supreme court that designated frozen embryos as ‘children’.
Democratic senator Tammy Duckworth, who used IVF treatments to have her two children, sought an immediate vote by the Senate on Wednesday on her Access to Family Building Act bill.
Her move for a vote, which required unanimous consent by all 100 senators, was promptly blocked by Mississippi’s Republican senator Cindy Hyde-Smith.
Hyde-Smith, speaking on the Senate floor, said the bill was a “vast overreach that is full of poison pills that goes way too far, far beyond ensuring legal access to IVF”. She added:
I support the ability for mothers and fathers to have total access to IVF and bringing new life into the world. I also believe human life should be protected.
She defended the Alabama supreme court’s ruling, pointing out that it originated with a pair of wrongful death cases brought by three couples who had frozen embryos destroyed in an accident at a fertility clinic.
Congressional leaders reach deal to avert government shutdown
Congressional leaders said they have reached a deal to advance appropriations bills in March for fiscal year 2024, averting a government shutdown for now.
A joint statement from Democratic and Republican leaders including Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and House speaker Mike Johnson reads:
We are in agreement that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our government.
Negotiators have come to an agreement on six bills: Agriculture-FDA, Commerce-Justice and Science, Energy and Water Development, Interior, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD. After preparing final tect, this package of six full year Appropriations bills will be voted on and enacted prior to March 8. These bills will adhere to the Fiscal Responsibility Act discretionary spending limits and January’s topline spending agreement.
The remaining six Appropriations bills – Defense, Financial Services and General Government, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS, Legislative Branch, and State and Foreign Operations – will be finalized, voted on, and enacted prior to March 22.
A shutdown would have forced many federal employees to go without pay until Congress passed another funding bill, and while that disruption has been avoided for now, the threat will arise again in the coming weeks.
Hugo Lowell
The US supreme court will decide if Donald Trump can be prosecuted on election interference charges, indicating it will move quickly in the immunity case.
Trump’s appeal to the nation’s highest court marks the final challenge the former US president can make on the immunity issue related to his federal criminal case.
Trump’s team had viewed for months that the appeal would probably fall short on the law but would be an effective way to delay the impending trial, which had been due to begin in early March.
The court on Wednesday agreed to decide Trump’s claim of immunity on charges brought by a special counsel involving his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, again thrusting the nation’s top judicial body into the election fray as Trump seeks to regain the presidency.
The justices put on hold the criminal case being pursued by special counsel Jack Smith and will review a lower court’s rejection of Trump’s claim of immunity from prosecution because he was president when he took actions aimed at reversing Joe Biden’s election victory over him.
Trump’s lawyers had requested a stay of that ruling, warning of dire consequences for the presidency absent such immunity.
Trump has made it no secret that his overarching legal strategy is to seek delays, ideally beyond the 2024 election in November, in the hopes that winning re-election could enable him to potentially pardon himself or direct his attorney general to drop the charges.
The supreme court’s announcement that it will decide if Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution adds a new hurdle to a trial focused on the former president’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
In a statement, the supreme court said it will consider “whether and if so to what extent does a former President enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office”.
The court said it would hear arguments and issue a ruling on the immunity claim. In the meantime, the case is on hold, meaning no trial can take place.
Supreme Court to decide Trump immunity claim in 2020 election case
The US supreme court has agreed to decide Donald Trump’s claim of immunity from prosecution on charges brought by a special counsel involving his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
The justices’ order maintains a hold on preparations for a trial focused on Trump’s efforts to overturn his election loss.
The court has agreed to expedite the case and hear arguments the week of 22 April. A decision is likely to come no later than the end of June.
BREAKING: US Supreme Court agrees to hear Trump immunity claim in the federal 2020 election interference case, oral argument set for April 22 pic.twitter.com/Lm58G1jI1v
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) February 28, 2024
Democratic Illinois senator Tammy Duckworth, speaking on the Senate floor, warned that the “first domino has fallen” after an Alabama supreme court ruling that frozen embryos are children led to the closure of a number of infertility clinics in the state.
It could only be a matter of time before more state courts issue similar rulings, and more hospitals and organizations will have to stop providing IVF treatment, Duckworth said. She said:
Think about what’s at stake. State courts simply can strip away access to IVF. Think about how many would-be moms might never be able to hear their child’s first laugh.
Republican senator blocks vote on IVF protections
Republican senator for Mississippi, Cindy Hyde-Smith, has blocked passage of a bill to protect Americans’ access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment.
Congressional leaders have reportedly struck a deal to extend funding to six agencies including the departments of agriculture, energy and water, veteran affairs with a 8 March deadline.
The House plans to vote tomorrow on the one-week stopgap measure to avert a partial government shutdown, CNN reports, citing a Republican aide.
Under the agreement, funding for six agencies including the departments of agriculture, transportation, veteran affairs, housing and urban development will expire on 8 March, a week later than planned.
Funding for the rest of the government, including defense and state departments, would be extended until 22 March.
Biden ‘fit for duty’, doctor says after annual physical
Joe Biden continues to be “fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations”, his physician has said.
A summary of Biden’s annual physical states:
President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief.
Senate Democrats to bring bill on protecting IVF access nationwide
The Democratic senator from Illinois Tammy Duckworth will speak on the Senate floor and lead Senate Democrats in calling on Republicans to pass her bill to protect the right to access in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other fertility treatments in the wake of a ruling by the Alabama supreme court that frozen embryos are “extrauterine children”.
To all those Republicans who suddenly claim to support IVF—today would be a great day to get out of the way and let the Senate pass my bill to protect access to IVF nationwide.
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) February 28, 2024
Joe Biden has said he and Mitch McConnell could “always speak with each other honestly and put the country ahead of ourselves” in a statement following McConnell’s announcement that he will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November.
Describing McConnell as a “friend”, Biden said he was proud that the pair have been able to work together to find common ground on behalf of the American people despite “many political disagreements”. He added:
Mitch has lived the American dream, overcoming polio and going on to become the longest-serving Senate leader in American history. Jill and I wish the best to Mitch and Elaine.
New York appeals judge denies Trump bid to pay $100m of $454m judgment
Lauren Aratani
A New York appeals judge has denied Donald Trump’s request to pay just $100m of the $454m judgment for his New York fraud trial.
Trump’s lawyers had asked the appeals court to halt the collection of the rest of the amount, along with the judgment’s ban on Trump securing new loans from New York bans, until the appeal goes through.
On Wednesday, Judge Anil Singh appeared to have some sympathy for Trump, staying the ban over Trump taking out loans from New York banks and another on him serving as an officer of a New York company, both for the next three years.
Trump’s lawyers Clifford Robert, Alina Habba and Michael Farina wrote:
The exorbitant and punitive amount of the judgment, coupled with an unlawful and unconstitutional blanket prohibition on lending transactions, would make it impossible to secure and post a complete bond.
The New York attorney general’s office said the appeals court should deny Trump’s request as Trump has not said he does not have the assets to fulfil the judgment’s full amount.
Here’s more on the news that congressional leaders have reportedly struck a deal to prevent a government shutdown, according to Politico.
Negotiators reached an agreement on six appropriations bills, assigning them a deadline of 8 March, according to the report.
Leaders are aiming to release text by this weekend and clear the spending bills next week, the report says.
The remaining fiscal 2024 measures will get a new deadline of 22 March, according to Politico.
Congressional negotiators strike deal to prevent government shutdown – report
With government funding partially expiring Friday, House and Senate negotiators have reached an agreement to prevent a shutdown, Politico reports:
NEWS: Congressional leaders HAVE STRUCK a govt funding deal, per senior leadership source. Announcement imminent
6 approps bills next week: AG, CJS, Energy&Water, Interior, Milcon, THUD w/ March 8 deadline. Other 6 will be March 22. Vote on a CR by week’s end.
StoryTK @politico— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) February 28, 2024
Funding for some federal departments will expire after Friday, while the rest face an 8 March deadline. Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress met with Joe Biden yesterday at the White House, where all sides expressed their desire to avoid a shutdown that the president warned would damage the economy.