By Lawrence Hurley -
NBC News
The Supreme Court agreed this Wednesday to examine whether former President Donald Trump can claim presidential immunity to be exempt from the criminal charges against him in the case of electoral interference.
In a brief order, the court indicated it would hear arguments the week of April 22 and issue a ruling, which may come weeks or months later.
In the meantime, the case will be on hold, so he will not be able to hold the trial and it may no longer be possible to hold it before the November election, in which he aspires to be the Republican candidate for the White House.
A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled against Trump on February 6, but gave him a deadline to file an emergency request with the Supreme Court before its decision took effect.
"For the purposes of this case, former President Trump has become a Trump citizen, with all the defenses of any other criminal defendant," the appeals court ruling stated.
District Judge Tanya Chutkan had originally scheduled the trial for March in Washington, D.C. It is one of four criminal cases in which Trump is named as a defendant.
However, if he won the election in November he would be in a position to order the charges dismissed;
and if he were found guilty, he could issue a presidential pardon for himself from the White House.
Trump's lawyers argue that presidents should have full immunity in their official acts and that Trump's actions that allegedly questioned the results of the 2020 election (which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden) were part of his official duties.