Supreme Court to Hear Trump Immunity Case; Republican Senate Leader McConnell to Step Down
The Supreme Court will hear Donald Trump's case that he has legal immunity for actions taken while president.
The high court will hear arguments the week of April 22 and could release a decision by the end of June.
The decision could bump a potential trial late into the election season.
Trump was charged with interference in the 2020 election for actions related to January 6th.
His legal team argues he can't face prosecution for actions taken while president. But an appeals court rejected the immunity argument.
The Supreme Court's announcement comes as the former president moves closer to locking down the Republican nomination for president.
Meanwhile, a nemesis of the former president, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in U.S. history, says he'll step down from that position in November.
McConnell told senators Wednesday, "Father Time remains undefeated. I am no longer the young man sitting in the back, hoping colleagues would remember my name. It is time for the next generation of leadership."
McConnell said he plans to serve out his Senate term, which ends in January, 2027.
McConnell's legacy of transforming the federal judiciary will last for a generation. During the Trump administration, McConnell's Senate confirmed three conservative Supreme Court justices and more than 200 lower-court judges.
He blocked a possible liberal majority on the Supreme Court under President Obama by preventing a hearing for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
That led to landmark Supreme Court decisions overturning Roe v. Wade, striking down affirmative action and protecting religious freedom against gay rights.
But McConnell hinted that he realizes his leadership may no longer be welcome in a Republican Party dominated by Trump.
"Believe me," McConnell said. "I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them."
McConnell and Trump reportedly haven't spoken in more than three years. McConnell refused to go along with Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and blamed him for January 6.
The 82-year-old McConnell was at times a thorn in the side of both right and left, which he acknowledged in announcing his decision.
"I still have enough gas in the tank to thoroughly disappoint critics, and I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm with which they've become accustomed," McConnell said.
The Supreme Court will also rule on whether states can ban Trump from the ballot. Wednesday, Illinois became the third state to do so.
