FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, Feb. 16, 2024

Contact: Tony Mangan, Communications Director, 605-773-6878

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined 21 Attorneys General in filing an amicus brief that supports former President Donald Trump’s stay request regarding presidential immunity to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Former President Trump has asked the Supreme Court to stay a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit which said Trump could not invoke presidential immunity as a defense against criminal charges related to the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6, 2021 incident at the U.S. Capitol.

The special prosecutor in the case is also seeking a quick decision by the U.S. Supreme Court on Trump’s stay request so the trial can start this year. The initial trial set was set for this March.

“These are serious charges, and a defendant, even one who is a candidate for President, deserves a right to have time to prepare an adequate defense,” said Attorney General Jackley. “The Attorneys General do not believe that speeding up the legal process for political reasons would be appropriate.”

Attorneys Generals also have signed on from the states of Alabama, Alaska, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The brief can be read here: