The Supreme Court said Monday it will not accelerate the process to bring President Donald Trump’s legal battle with House Democrats over the president’s business records to lower courts.
The House of Representatives legal counsel had asked the court to immediately implement his decision earlier this month that said that while Trump had no absolute right to refuse to comply with legitimate subpoenas for documents, Congress also did not have unlimited authority to search for materials from a president because their demands must be connected to a legitimate legislative purpose.
The ruling sent the case back to lower courts, where the scope of House subpoenas is likely to be narrowed.
Supreme Court decisions generally do not legally take effect until 25 days after the decisions are issued, which in this case would be August 3. Three House committees that sought Trump’s taxes and other records told the Supreme Court that their investigations “are ongoing, remain urgent, and have been hampered by the lack of purpose in these litigation, which began in April of 2019 “.
But on Monday, in a one-sentence order, the court rejected the request. Judge Sonia Sotomayor said she would have granted it.
The court took the opposite course with a request from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, who is also looking for Trump’s business records. Court President John Roberts agreed on Friday to Vance’s request to immediately issue the Supreme Court ruling in that case. There were no disagreements regarding the order of the President of Justice.
The brief court orders do not indicate the reasons for his actions, but Vance’s argument likely convinced him that he needed to return to court quickly because the grand jury could lose his ability to press charges due to statutes of limitations.
The grand jury is searching Trump’s business and personal tax records for an investigation of payments made to two women who claimed they had affairs with him, allegations the president has always denied. Vance was said to be analyzing whether the payments violated state taxes or business regulations. The Supreme Court rejected the President’s claim that he was absolutely immune to local criminal investigations.
Every day that subpoenas are delayed, Vance said, “increases the likelihood that the grand jury will not receive the documents it sought 10 months ago in a timely manner,” which could give the president “the absolute immunity that this court rejection”. “
Federal District Court Judge Victor Marrero in New York set August 14 as the deadline for all legal summaries in the subpoena fight. Trump’s attorneys said they are likely to claim that the subpoena is too broad, motivated by a desire to harass, is intended to manipulate his political decisions or retaliate against him for official acts, and would impede his ability to carry out his functions.
