US Federal Court Rules "No Immunity from Criminal Cases During Trump's Presidency"

Former U.S. President Donald Trump claimed presidential immunity, arguing that the allegations of attempting to interfere with the 2020 election results occurred during his tenure, but the court rejected this claim.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump / Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Associated Press, Tanya Chutkan, a judge at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled on the 1st (local time) that "former presidents do not enjoy special conditions (immunity) from federal criminal liability."

She added, "The defendant (former President Trump) can be subject to federal investigation, prosecution, conviction, and punishment for criminal acts committed while in office."

The trial is scheduled to begin in March next year. Previously, Trump's legal team argued that the case regarding his alleged election interference should be dismissed. Since Trump is the leading candidate in the Republican primary for next year's presidential election, they aim to prevent prosecution for actions taken during his presidency.

Former President Trump may take the issue of the scope of presidential powers all the way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court holds that a president is immune from civil liability for official acts. However, it is reported that the justices have never seriously considered whether this immunity applies to criminal prosecution.

Trump was indicted in August this year on charges of spreading false claims of election fraud to the American public, attempting to overturn the election results, and interfering with vote counting in the 2020 election. He denied all four related charges during the arraignment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.