A U.S. federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected Donald Trump's request for criminal immunity based on his status as a former president, indicating that he could be prosecuted for attempts to alter the outcome of the 2020 elections.
The District of Columbia Circuit Court of Appeals found that Trump's claim to immunity from criminal liability for actions taken while in office is "not supported by precedent, history, or the text and structure of the Constitution."
On January 19th, Trump had sought "absolute" presidential immunity from criminal prosecution, even for actions that may have "exceeded the bounds."
Trump, who is running in the upcoming November presidential elections, faces 91 criminal charges in four separate cases, including efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and illegal possession of classified documents at his private golf club.
In a social media post at the time, he claimed that as a former president, he has complete immunity from prosecution and urged the Supreme Court to rule in his favor, stating that "even acts that -exceed the bounds- must be subject to full immunity," otherwise, it would take years "to distinguish between what is good and what is bad."
With the appeal denied, most legal experts anticipate that the case is likely to be escalated to the Supreme Court for a final decision.
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