President Donald Trump blasted Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan for denying him the opportunity to attend oral arguments on Thursday in the Supreme Court case involving his claims of presidential immunity from Jack Smith’s political prosecution. Trump told reporters, “It’s the most important case in many years.” The case before the high court is expected to set the standard for presidential immunity from criminal charges brought by opposing politicians.
Judge Merchan, presiding over Trump’s trial in New York on allegations of falsifying business records, ruled that Trump must remain in the Manhattan court throughout his trial. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has filed 34 felony counts against President Trump, who has maintained his complete innocence throughout.
Given the novel application of federal law in state court — in a case rejected by federal prosecutors — the 45th president has described the proceedings as a “communist show trial.”
Trump says NY Judge Merchan 'thinks he is above the Supreme Court' after barring him from immunity arguments https://t.co/jjqKenuuXh
— Fox News (@FoxNews) April 24, 2024
Trump had requested permission to be absent from the New York courtroom on Thursday to be present at the Supreme Court in Washington. Special Counsel Jack Smith has brought a wide-ranging “election interference” case against President Trump that includes charges of conspiracy and obstruction related to his alleged actions surrounding the January 6 Capitol protests and the certification of the 2020 election.
Legal experts expect the Supreme Court’s decision, expected no later than late May or early June, to set a historic precedent as the first case of its kind to involve executive immunity under the Constitution.
Trump’s request to attend the Supreme Court arguments was summarily denied by Judge Merchan, who acknowledged the importance of the Supreme Court but maintained the necessity of Trump’s presence at his trial. Trump retorted: “Because he thinks he is above the Supreme Court, he is prohibiting me from going to the presidential immunity hearing where some of the great legal scholars will be arguing the case.”
In addition, Trump’s request to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation is also under threat, as Merchan has yet to make a decision. Trump lamented this as another example of what he sees as Merchan’s bias, claiming, “He can’t have his father at his graduation because of a vicious judge that’s totally conflicted.”
As the multiple cases unfold, the various rulings exemplify the chaos that Democrats are searching for in advance of this year’s election. Given that the party has nothing of value in Joe Biden’s record to stand on, it has doubled down on creating controversy surrounding President Trump.
