As the federal election interference case against former President Donald Trump came to a screeching halt Wednesday, Trump’s campaign hailed the latest development as a major victory.
The former president and leading GOP contender in the 2024 race has argued that his actions in fighting back against the results of the 2020 presidential election come under the umbrella of his duties as president and as such should be protected by the immunity that covers the office. That would mean the charges against him would be thrown out.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan disagreed in a fiery Dec. 1 ruling that said Trump’s “four-year service as Commander in Chief did not bestow on him the divine right of kings to evade the criminal accountability that governs his fellow citizens,” according to CNN.
Trump appealed the ruling, beginning a chain of appeals that is not likely to stop until it reaches the U.S. Supreme Court.
On Wednesday, Chutkan issued an order recognizing that the case might not make it to trial if Trump is successful in his appeal.