(NewsInsights.org) – Former President Donald Trump continues to face several civil and criminal trials. In March, his legal team filed a motion asking DC District Court Judge Amit Mehta for an indefinite postponement of the consolidated civil suits against him. On Thursday, April 18, the judge denied the request in a nine-page opinion and order.
Lawmakers, staffers, and Capitol Police officers suing for damages resulting from the events of January 6 filed the consolidated suit, known as Lee v Trump. They argued that the defendant, Trump, incited the riot and sought to stop the Congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election. Trump’s attorneys claimed that defending their client against the civil charges could undermine his criminal defense in the J6 case.
Mehta dismissed concerns regarding self-incrimination or the possibility that the defense might telegraph a key strategy ahead of the criminal trial. Instead, the judge said he could institute “appropriate safeguards” to prevent violation of Trump’s Fifth Amendment rights as the civil trial proceeded. He found Trump’s legal team’s arguments unpersuasive, not the least because they wanted an indefinite stay of the civil trial while awaiting the outcome of the criminal proceeding.
Trump has claimed presidential immunity from civil or criminal prosecution, saying all his actions qualified as the official actions of a president rather than the private actions of a candidate seeking to retain office. However, the DC District Appellate Court disagreed in December, paving the way for the suits to continue.
The former president is appealing the immunity issue to the Supreme Court in connection with the four-count criminal indictment brought against him by Special Counsel Jack Smith. The High Court will hear arguments on Thursday, April 25, the last case in the SCOTUS 2023 through 2024 session.
The outcome will determine whether the criminal trial before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan can proceed. However, the ruling could also affect the documents criminal case in Florida against the former president and the Georgia election interference criminal case.
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