Emergency application
President's protection from prosecution
Donald J. Trump v. New York
What did the Court do?
The Court denied the request on January 9, 2025: the lower court's ruling stays in effect while the appeal continues.
Emergency rulings are temporary and do not decide the underlying case. Justice Thomas, Justice Alito, Justice Gorsuch, and Justice Kavanaugh would have ruled the other way.
What's being asked
Donald Trump asks the Supreme Court to pause his New York criminal proceedings while his appeal over presidential immunity continues. He argues the trial court wrongly admitted evidence about his official acts and should have protected him from prosecution during the presidential transition.
What the Court did
The Court refused Trump's emergency request, denying a stay (temporary pause) of the criminal proceedings; it did not decide his immunity claim. Alleged evidence errors can be addressed on appeal; the planned brief virtual hearing and sentence without conditions would impose relatively little burden. The order says Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh would grant the request; it lists no other justices' positions.
- Dissented
- Vote not published
- Dissenting · 4recorded against the Court's order
What it means
This emergency ruling is temporary and does not decide who wins Trump's immunity appeal. The criminal case continues in New York's state Supreme Court in New York County; his immunity appeal remains in the New York courts. The docket lists no related Supreme Court case, and no argument was set for this application.
Sources
Facts on this page come from the Supreme Court docket, orders, and opinions for No. 24A666. The answers restate that record in plain words; explainer copy is written from the record and the filings only.