US Supreme Court rules Donald Trump entitled to some immunity in January 6 case

A divided US Supreme Court threw out a judicial decision rejecting Donald Trump's bid to shield himself from federal criminal charges involving his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in a major ruling on Monday involving the scope of presidential immunity from prosecution.

The court ruled that former presidents are shielded from prosecution for actions they take within their constitutional authority, as opposed to a private capacity. The ruling marked the first time since the nation's 18th century founding that the Supreme Court has declared that former presidents may be shielded from criminal charges in any instance.

The decision came in Trump's appeal of a lower court ruling rejecting his immunity claim. The court decided the blockbuster case on the last day of its term.