On Thursday, a federal judge in Washington, DC put a pause on the criminal case against former President Donald Trump related to the Jan 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta issued a stay of proceedings after Trump’s attorneys filed a notice that they were appealing the judge’s earlier ruling that the former president can not be immune from the criminal charges brought against him.
The criminal charges stem from an assault on the Capitol building carried out by a mob of Trump supporters in an effort to overturn the election results. Five people died in the attack, and scores of others were injured.
In April, Judge Mehta denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the charges, denying his argument that a sitting president is immune to criminal prosecution. Trump then filed an appeal of that ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, which issued a stay on the proceedings until a hearing could be held to determine whether the lower court’s ruling should stand.
Judge Mehta granted the stay, which will pause the criminal proceedings until the appeals court can decide whether Trump can be immune from criminal prosecution while in office. The appeals court must now decide whether it has the authority to hear the challenge, which may take weeks or months. Additionally, it could ultimately end up before the Supreme Court.
This ruling is important as it means that the criminal proceedings against Trump cannot move forward until a definitive ruling is made. This decision could have significant implications for the presidency going forward, as any future president would now have to contend with the possibility of facing criminal prosecution while in office.
In the meantime, the case against Trump and his associates is still being investigated by the Department of Justice. It has thus far charged more than 400 people in connection with the attack and is continuing to pursue those involved. It is unclear how long the criminal proceedings against the former president will take, but the outcome could be historic regardless.
On Thursday, a federal judge in Washington, DC put a pause on the criminal case against former President Donald Trump related to the Jan 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta issued a stay of proceedings after Trump’s attorneys filed a notice that they were appealing the judge’s earlier ruling that the former president can not be immune from the criminal charges brought against him.
The criminal charges stem from an assault on the Capitol building carried out by a mob of Trump supporters in an effort to overturn the election results. Five people died in the attack, and scores of others were injured.
In April, Judge Mehta denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the charges, denying his argument that a sitting president is immune to criminal prosecution. Trump then filed an appeal of that ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, which issued a stay on the proceedings until a hearing could be held to determine whether the lower court’s ruling should stand.
Judge Mehta granted the stay, which will pause the criminal proceedings until the appeals court can decide whether Trump can be immune from criminal prosecution while in office. The appeals court must now decide whether it has the authority to hear the challenge, which may take weeks or months. Additionally, it could ultimately end up before the Supreme Court.
This ruling is important as it means that the criminal proceedings against Trump cannot move forward until a definitive ruling is made. This decision could have significant implications for the presidency going forward, as any future president would now have to contend with the possibility of facing criminal prosecution while in office.
In the meantime, the case against Trump and his associates is still being investigated by the Department of Justice. It has thus far charged more than 400 people in connection with the attack and is continuing to pursue those involved. It is unclear how long the criminal proceedings against the former president will take, but the outcome could be historic regardless.
