Attorneys general from 22 states are pushing for the Supreme Court to decide whether former President Donald Trump has immunity from being tried on charges that he conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
"Before a former President faces a federal criminal trial for the first time in our Nation’s history, this Court should decide whether such a trial is permitted by the Constitution," the brief, signed by AG’s in Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming, reads.
"To say the least, the timing is suspicious, and it warrants explanation. But the United States has never offered one.
"[T]iming a criminal prosecution to influence an election is no way to protect democracy, and it is not a legitimate end of law enforcement," the brief continues.
Special Counsel Jack Smith last week asked the Supreme Court to reject the former president’s emergency application to delay the trial.
"Delay in the resolution of these charges threatens to frustrate the public interest in a speedy and fair verdict — a compelling interest in every criminal case and one that has unique national importance here," Smith wrote.
The case, he added, "involves federal criminal charges against a former president for alleged criminal efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election, including through the use of official power."