The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments this week on whether former President Donald Trump is absolutely immune from criminal prosecution over acts that allegedly happened when he was president, in a case that could have grave implications both for the presidency and Trump’s legal fights.

At issue is a federal criminal indictment against Trump in connection with his and his allies’ alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, a scheme that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.

“It seems almost definitely the case that Trump couldn’t be tried, convicted and sentenced [before the election],” says Thomas Keck, professor of political science and Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics, noting that the Court could take months to rule. “If he wins, and is inaugurated in January, then he can make the whole thing go away,” he says, referring to a president’s authority to pardon himself and others of crimes.

Read more in the Democracy Docket article, “Three Things To Watch During the Supreme Court’s Argument on Trump’s Immunity.”