Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

US Supreme Court to Consider Trump's Request for Immunity

POSTED ON April 25, 2024 •   Foreign Affairs      BY Benedicta Bassey
Former US President Donald Trump/ Photo credit: nebraskaexaminer.com

The US Supreme Court will hear arguments about the question of whether former President Donald Trump should be exempt from criminal prosecution for actions he took while in office on Thursday (today). 

The decision may have a significant impact on Trump's numerous legal challenges as he runs for president once more as well as the scope of US executive authority. 

The nine justices of the court took the case, delaying the beginning of Trump's trial on allegations of plotting to rig the 2020 election in favor of Joe Biden, maybe forever. 

“Famously, Richard Nixon engaged in criminal law-breaking,” said James Sample, a constitutional law professor at Hofstra University.

“But because he resigned, and (successor) Gerald Ford then pardoned him, we have never had to squarely address the notion of a criminal prosecution against a former president.”

Special Counsel Jack Smith filed the election conspiracy case against 77-year-old Trump in August and had pushed for a March trial start date.

But the Republican presidential candidate’s lawyers filed a blizzard of motions seeking to postpone the case against him, including the claim that an ex-president enjoys “absolute immunity.”

Two lower courts flatly rejected that argument but the Supreme Court agreed in February to hear the case.

One lower court ruled Trump’s immunity claim is “unsupported by precedent” or the US Constitution.

“We cannot accept that the office of the Presidency places its former occupants above the law for all time thereafter,” the judges said.

Nevertheless, Trump is eyeing a friendly hearing from a court he had a critical role in shaping, having appointed three justices to give it a 6-3 conservative majority.


AFP

READ ALSO
China-Africa Institute to Launch First Museum in China Celebrating African History and Culture
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 31, 2025 0

The China-Africa Institute, part of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has unveiled plans to cr...

READ ALSO
Six Killed in Israeli Air Strikes Amid Intensified Operations in Gaza
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 25, 2025 0

Rescuers in Gaza reported that six individuals were killed and several others injured due to Israeli...

READ ALSO
FG advocate for BASA agreement between Nigeria, Italy
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 22, 2025 0

The federal government (FG) has emphasised the importance of reviving the Bilateral Air Services Agr...

READ ALSO
DHS Report: Nigerians Represent 3% of All African Naturalizations in the U.S.
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 18, 2025 0

The US granted citizenship to 34,289 Nigerians between 2020 and 2022, according to the latest Natura...

READ ALSO
Tinubu Meets with Security Chiefs Ahead of Rome Trip
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 16, 2025 0

ABUJA, Nigeria - President Bola Tinubu on Friday, held a private meeting with Nigeria's Service Chie...

READ ALSO
UNHCR Raises Alarm over Germany's Stricter Border Controls
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 14, 2025 0

The UNHCR has voiced its concerns regarding Germany's recent move to enhance border controls and den...

READ ALSO
India-Pakistan Ceasefire in Jeopardy: Accusations Fly Amidst Fragile Peace
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 11, 2025 0

India and Pakistan exchanged accusations of violating a ceasefire early Sunday, just hours after US...

READ ALSO
1,006 Foreign Nationals Granted Citizenship Since 2017
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 11, 2025 0

ABUJA, Nigeria (NAN) - The Federal Government officially granted Nigerian citizenship to at least 1,...

OUR CHANNELS:

NEMA Mobilizes Teams to 15 States Amid Flood Warnings
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 5, 2025 0

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has sent officials to 15 high-risk states to educate...


Edo Faces Diphtheria Outbreak, Two Confirmed Deaths
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 5, 2025 0

EDO, Nigeria (NAN) - A diphtheria outbreak has been confirmed in Edo State, resulting in two deaths....


Tinubu Honors Bill Gates with National Award for Global Philanthropy
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 5, 2025 0

LAGOS, Nigeria - President Bola Tinubu commended Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and chairma...


Bahrain, Colombia, DRC, Latvia, and Liberia Join UN Security Council for 2026-2027 Term
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 5, 2025 0

The UN General Assembly on Tuesday elected five new non-permanent members to the UN Security Council...


Tinubu Orders Urgent Repairs on Flood-Damaged Bridge in Mokwa
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 5, 2025 0

NIGER, Nigeria (NAN)- President Bola Tinubu has instructed the Federal Ministry of Works to repair t...


Nigeria Needs ₦2.2 Trillion to Eliminate Cervical Cancer by 2030, Says Task Force Chair
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 5, 2025 0

ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria will need ₦2.2 trillion to roll out comprehensive cervical cancer ini...


EFCC Charges Two Men for Posing as Fake Sureties in Illegal Mining Case
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged two individuals, Shehu Abdu and Isah...


Court Sentence Scrap Seller to 12 Years for Sexual Assault of Four-Year-Old Girl
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 4, 2025 0

A scrap seller, Nasiru Usman, was sentenced to 12 years in prison by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Do...


70-Year-Old Faces Manslaughter Charges After Fatal Accident
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 5, 2025 0

LAGOS, Nigeria - A 70-year-old man, Isiaka Afolayan, has been detained for careless driving and the...


Police Arrest 49 years old Suspect for Abduction of Two-Month-Old Baby
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara June 5, 2025 0

DELTA, Nigeria - The police in Delta reported the arrest of a suspect named Joy Temitope for the abd...


More Articles

Load more...

Menu