Judge Rejects Trump’s Claim of ‘Presidential Immunity’ in 2020 Election Case

Being president doesn’t confer a lifelong “get-out-of-jail-free” pass, the judge said in her ruling.

Former President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom during his civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court in New York City on Nov. 6, 2023. Curtis Means/Pool/Getty Images

A federal judge on Dec. 1 rejected former President Donald Trump’s claim of presidential immunity and other constitutional defenses in his 2020 election case.

In October, President Trump asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to dismiss the election interference charges against him in Washington on the grounds that the U.S. Constitution grants him “absolute immunity” for acts within the “outer perimeter” of a president’s “official responsibility.”