#Supreme Court grants Manhattan DA request to fast-track Trump tax return ruling

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Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance
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Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. could get his chance to try for President Trump’s financial records a lot sooner after Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday granted his request to fast-track a Supreme Court ruling that Trump is not immune from criminal investigations.

The Supreme Court last week dealt the president a blow when they ruled that Vance and New York prosecutors could forge ahead with their subpoena for eight years of Trump’s financial records and tax returns from his accounting firm Mazars USA.

But the court punted the ultimate decision on whether to issue the subpoena to Manhattan federal court where Trump’s lawyers and Vance’s office this week returned to continue their legal battle.

Vance’s office is investigating whether Trump paid hush money before the 2016 election to several women with whom he allegedly had affairs.

Most Supreme Court rulings take 25 days to go into effect after the court’s opinion is released, but Vance on Wednesday asked the justices to put the ruling into effect immediately, fearful that a 10-month old subpoena, issued last September, could become void if it passes the statue of limitations.

In his letter to the court, Vance warned that any delay could grant Trump the “absolute temporary immunity that this court rejected.”

“Each day that compliance with the Mazars Subpoena is delayed increases the likelihood that the grand jury will not receive the documents it sought ten months ago in a timely fashion,” he wrote.

Trump’s legal team have vigorously defended the case, unsuccessfully suing Vance’s office and appealing with United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Supreme Court.

The president’s attorneys argue that the subpoena is a politically motivated fishing expedition designed to harass and humiliate Trump ahead of the November election.

The case continues.