logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
12m 33s

The Supreme Court takes a pass

NPR
About this episode
This week on Trump's Trials, host Scott Detrow is joined by NPR Justice Correspondent Carrie Johnson.

This week's focus: The Supreme Court and presidential immunity. The court decided they would not take up Special Counsel Jack Smith's request to fast-track arguments on whether former President Donald Trump is immune from prosecution for alleged crimes committed while in office. Instead, the case will continue to make its way through the appeals process, further delaying the trial start date. Plus Colorado's Supreme Court decision to remove Trump from the Republican primary ballot.

Topics include:
- Supreme Court and presidential immunity
- Colorado Supreme Court ruling on Trump
- Predictions on how the U.S. Supreme Court may eventually respond
- A look ahead to 2024

Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify for new episodes each Saturday.

Sign up for sponsor-free episodes and support NPR's political journalism at plus.npr.org/trumpstrials.

Email the show at trumpstrials@npr.org.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
Poll: 59% of Americans disapprove of RFK Jr.'s moves as health secretary
What people believe about health increasingly depends on how they feel about politics, according to a new poll. NPR's Yuki Noguchi reports.Then, NPR's A Martínez speaks with former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, who is one of six former surgeons general to have issued a wa ... Show More
8m 56s
Oct 8
A GOP push to restrict voting by overseas U.S. citizens continues before the midterms
With the 2026 midterm election approaching, U.S. expatriates and their advocates say voting faces more uncertainty than usual, as Republican officials continue a push for more restrictions on overseas voters, including U.S. military members stationed abroad. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang r ... Show More
5m 11s
Oct 7
Trump's power to deploy National Guard, explained
President Trump is bucking tradition and legal precedent in pushing to deploy the National Guard to Democratic-led cities such as Portland, Ore., and Chicago due to what he says is rampant crime and to support his crackdown on illegal immigration. NPR's Jaclyn Diaz and Juliana Ki ... Show More
12m 27s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2024
Kick Trump Off the Ballot? Even Liberal Justices Are Skeptical
In December, the Colorado Supreme Court issued a bombshell ruling that said Donald Trump was ineligible to be on the state’s ballot for the Republican presidential primary, saying he was disqualified under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution because he had engaged in insurrect ... Show More
34m 5s
Dec 2023
Colo. Supreme Court Knocks Trump Off Ballot — What's Next?
Citing the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled "President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President" due to his role in the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But, there's still a chance he'll be allowed on the ... Show More
10m 50s
Dec 2023
Why a Colorado Court Just Knocked Trump Off the Ballot
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that former President Donald J. Trump is barred from holding office under the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies those who engage in insurrection, and directed Mr. Trump’s name to be excluded from the state’s 2024 Republican primary bal ... Show More
20m 5s
Jul 2024
Trump Has Broad Immunity
The Supreme Court dealt a major blow to prosecutors hoping to convict Donald Trump on charges he sought to subvert the 2020 election. The court ruled 6-3 that former presidents enjoy sweeping immunity for their acts while in office. WSJ's Jess Bravin discusses what this ruling co ... Show More
19m 2s
Jul 2024
Trump Wins Broad Immunity
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that former President Donald J. Trump is entitled to broad immunity from criminal prosecution for actions that he took while in office.Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for The New York Times, explains how that ruling will weaken the fed ... Show More
26m 25s
Mar 2024
Did the Supreme Court Just Save Trump?
Donald Trump and President Biden hold dueling events at the Texas border as the issue of immigration becomes a top concern for voters. Mitch McConnell says he’s stepping down from Senate leadership after years of enabling Trump. House Republicans' sham impeachment investigation b ... Show More
52m 49s
Oct 2021
The Most Important Supreme Court Term in Decades
The latest term of the U.S. Supreme Court will include blockbuster cases on two of the most contentious topics in American life: abortion and gun rights.The cases come at a time when the court has a majority of Republican appointees and as it battles accusations of politicization ... Show More
22m 47s
Jan 2024
Trump’s Case for Total Immunity
Donald Trump has consistently argued that as a former president, he is immune from being charged with a crime for things he did while he was in office.Adam Liptak, who covers the Supreme Court for The Times, explains what happened when Trump’s lawyers made that case in federal co ... Show More
27m 40s
Sep 2022
DOJ expected to appeal judge’s ruling in Trump docs case
Will Donald Trump versus the United States of America end up before the Supreme Court? This as questions of a DOJ appeal emerge after a Trump appointed judge sides with the former president and cuts off access to classified documents to prosecutors while a special master is given ... Show More
1h 18m