They took their sweet time over these decisions but in the end the Supreme Court of the United States of America rejected the Trump lawyers and issued a one-sentence denial. Both sides in a vicious battle had returned to the nine justices in October to argue a dispute over Cyrus Vance Jr.’s, the New York District Attorney of York County NY, subpoenas for Donald Trump’s tax records. The Manhattan DA wants them as part of a broader investigation he is prosecuting, while Trump insists that the investigation is politically motivated and the subpoenas were issued in “bad faith.”
For nearly four months, the Supreme Court had refused to act on emergency filings related to the grand jury’s subpoena of Trump tax returns, effectively thwarting part of the investigation, which can now get underway. The Supreme Court’s months’ long deliberation on this issue marks a departure from its usual practice of speedy responses when the justices are asked to block a lower court decision on an emergency basis.
Their denial paves the way for the New York prosecutors to receive eight years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns and other financial records as part of an ongoing investigation into possible tax, insurance and bank fraud in Trump’s business empire which the Trump family and the Trump organization have denied. The allegations appear to have been based on testimony from former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen who is currently under house arrest having been returned there from federal prison when COVID struck.
BREAKING: After 4 months of inaction, SCOTUS in a one-sentence unsigned order declines Trump's request to further postpone enforcement of a Manhattan DA subpoena for his financial records. The order clears the way for a NY grand jury to obtain the records & review them in secret.
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) February 22, 2021
In a separate blow to Trump, SCOTUS also announced that it’s rejected the ex-president’s challenge to Pennsylvania’s election, saying it will not review the extension of a mail-in ballot deadline.
SCOTUS declines to take up a pair of leftover cases from the 2020 election. They involved the authority of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to extend the state's mail-in ballot deadline. Thomas, Alito and Gorsuch say the court should have granted review. https://t.co/RkzsCeb1Hi
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) February 22, 2021
Cue immediate crowing from the Left:
Pleased the Supreme Court understands The. Election. Was. Not. Stolen.#SCOTUS https://t.co/rqhBRphFgI
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 22, 2021