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The Supreme Court rejected<\/a> a request from Special Counsel Jack Smith<\/strong> on Friday to issue an expedited ruling on whether former president Donald Trump<\/strong> is immune from criminal prosecution, allowing a lower court to continue reviewing the issue.<\/p>\n The nation\u2019s highest court\u2019s decision could result in unintended consequences by boosting the GOP frontrunner\u2019s attempts to delay his trial in his federal election subversion case until after the 2024 election.<\/p>\n The ruling came without explanation and did not include any noted dissents.<\/p>\n In his petition to the court, Smith argued that an expedited resolution of Trump\u2019s long-standing claims to presidential immunity would help the trial move quickly as the case is scheduled to begin in early March.<\/p>\n \u201cThe former president stands accused of serious crimes because the grand jury followed the facts and applied the law,\u201d Smith wrote. \u201cThe government seeks this Court\u2019s resolution of the immunity claim so that those charges may be promptly resolved, whatever the result.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s a good chance that the court\u2019s refusal to rule on the case on Friday won\u2019t be its final word. The case is now proceeding to a federal appeals court, with oral argument scheduled for the second week of January. Both Trump and Smith can appeal the lower court\u2019s ruling back to the Supreme Court after the decision.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real question is what happens then,\u201d Steve Vladeck<\/strong>, a University of Texas School of Law professor, told<\/a> CNN. \u201cAssuming the Court of Appeals rejects Trump\u2019s claim, will it keep the trial on hold pending further review from the Supreme Court, or will it allow the trial to go forward and force Trump to seek a stay from the Supreme Court?\u201d<\/p>\n Vladeck added that it\u2019s \u201cstill possible that the trial begins on March 4, but the Supreme Court\u2019s apparent willingness to let the DC Circuit go first makes it at least somewhat \u2013 and perhaps significantly \u2013 less likely.\u201d<\/p>\n In a social media post following the ruling, Trump wrote<\/a> that he was \u201clooking forward to the very important arguments on Presidential Immunity in front of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals!\u201d As he has throughout the campaign season, the current GOP frontrunner argued that the office of the presidency protected his election subversion activities: \u201cI was President, it was my right and duty to investigate, and speak on, the rigged and stolen 2020 Presidential Election.\u201d<\/p>\n The former president, who has grudgingly acknowledged<\/a> that he\u2019s facing at least $100 million in legal fees across various criminal cases, also used the Supreme Court\u2019s decision to raise money for his legal defense.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Supreme Court just DENIED the Biden prosecutor\u2019s emergency request to ROB me of my right to presidential immunity,\u201d read a fundraising message released Friday. \u201cI will still have to fight for my rights in the Appeals Court \u2013 as the Biden Special Counsel will do everything in their power to rush my fake trial and wrongly CONVICT me before the 2024 election.\u201d<\/p>\n The case stems from a motion Trump\u2019s lawyers filed with US District Judge Tanya Chutkan,<\/strong> who oversees the election subversion case, arguing that Trump was \u201cabsolutely immune\u201d from prosecution for his actions related to his work as president. Trump\u2019s lawyers were hoping for a denial from Chutkan, which they could use to kick off a lengthy process of appeals and delays, and that\u2019s exactly what they received.<\/p>\n