Supreme Court could play major role in outcome of 2024 election

Many believe that given the high likelihood of one of the craziest elections to take place, which would be the 2024 election, the U.S. Supreme Court could play a critical role in how it all shakes out.

Kaelan Deese, a Supreme Court reporter for the Washington Examiner, laid out why he believes the high court could play a significant role in next year's election cycle.

The author recounted the craziness surrounding the 2000 election results, which resulted in the hanging chads debacle, which ultimately involved the Supreme Court deciding the outcome of the election.

Deese went on to point out the Supreme Court's involvement in the 2020 election results, having to take cases related to numerous litigation attempts regarding President Joe Biden's win.

At issue now is Special Counsel Jack Smith's request that the Supreme Court decide whether or not former President Donald Trump's immunity claims are valid regarding the charges he currently faces.

"This case presents a fundamental question at the heart of our democracy: whether a former President is absolutely immune from federal prosecution for crimes committed while in office or is constitutionally protected from federal prosecution when he has been impeached but not convicted before the criminal proceedings begin," Smith wrote in his original indictment against Trump.

Deese added:

Smith said Trump's appeal of a district court's ruling that held he wasn't immune from the indictment effectively "suspends the trial of the charges against him." U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who ruled against Trump's immunity claims, has slated the trial to begin on March 4, the day before the major primary voting day known as Super Tuesday.

If the Supreme Court sides with Trump, it could pose a major problem for Smith and his prosecutors, Deese said.

The Supreme Court could also play a major role in the multiple lawsuits unfolding regarding Trump's ballot eligibility on a state level.

Many such lawsuits have already died at the state level, but in some states, such as Colorado, the issue has traveled a bit further than many would like to see.

Because there's no legal consensus on the right timing to challenge Trump's eligibility, it's unclear whether such a lawsuit should be decided before the Republican primaries that begin in 2024, before Election Day in November next year, or before Trump's possible inauguration in 2025. Justice William Hood III told Trump attorney Scott Gessler that "by failing to resolve this issue on the merits now, we create the potential for chaos in January of 2025."

Third-party candidates also have the ability to gum up the works, and possibly lead to Supreme Court-level decisions, as Deese noted:

Some election and legal experts have suggested the idea that 2024's crowded field of third-party candidates, some of whom have yet to declare candidacy, could lead to a "contingent election," when no candidate emerges with a 270-vote Electoral College majority.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, explained to the Examiner that even with the possibility of multiple "trainwrecks," the "Supreme Court will also intend to stay above the fray if they can."

With Biden's impeachment inquiry in the works, and Trump's mountain of legal challenges, there's no telling how crazy it could all become.

The next election will likely be one for the history books, to say the least.