Supreme Court Ends Jack Smith’s Early DC Trial Ambitions, Experts Say

‘March 4 was already an aggressive start date in the first place when that date was originally announced.’

The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Jan. 26, 2022. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Supreme Court’s declining to quickly hear a key aspect of former President Donald Trump’s criminal case makes it all but impossible for the upcoming trial in Washington, D.C., to launch on schedule, several experts have said. Some say the trial may not happen until after the 2024 election.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who handles the Trump D.C. case, asked the land’s highest court to decide on an expedited basis whether the former president’s alleged actions are covered by presidential immunity.