The Supreme Court has all but guaranteed that Donald Trump will not face trial for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election before this November’s presidential election. On Wednesday, after more than two weeks’ delay, the court issuedrefusing to lift the stay that’s preventing the Jan. 6 trial, prosecuted by Special Counsel Jack Smith, from moving forward. Instead, the court took up the case, scheduling oral arguments for the week of April 22—nearly two months from now.
Even in light of this Supreme Court’s hard-right lean, Wednesday’s order is stunning: a massive gift to Trump that can only be seen as a partisan bid to help him avoid a conviction for his attempt to subvert American democracy. There is no other plausible reason for the justices to sit on his petition for so long, or to schedule arguments so far ahead in the future.