Jen Psaki: What surprised experts about Trump's SCOTUS arguments

Neal Katyal shares key takeaways and potential outcomes

VIEW IN BROWSER MSNBC DAILY Understand today's news with Jen Psaki VIEW IN BROWSER MSNBC DAILY Understand today's news with Jen Psaki Saturday, April 27, 2024 Supreme Court heard Trump's immunity argument. Here's what comes next. By Jen Psaki This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding Donald Trump's claims of presidential immunity in his election interference case. The justices interrogated lawyers on both sides, leaving legal experts to try to read the tea leaves. Will they embrace any of team Trump's legal theories? We won't hear the final decision until late June or early July. With so much at stake, we asked Supreme Court expert Neal Katyal for his insights into potential outcomes and how the ruling may affect the timeline of Jack Smith's case.   Trump's lawyers are arguing that the president is effectively immune from things like directing a military coup. What do you make of their view of the presidency?   I think Trump's lawyer was so bombastic in making these claims that it skewed a lot of the media coverage. Justice Sonia Sotomayor early in the argument gave him a chance to walk back these extravagant arguments (like that the president could order Navy SEAL Team 6 to go assassinate his political rival), and the lawyer did not. While that may have been where Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito were, it was pointedly not where it seemed like others on the court (and in particular Justices Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Ketanji Brown Jackson, but also Amy Coney Barrett) were. This will likely come down to the chief justice and what he wants to do in terms of the court's role in all of this.   Obviously SCOTUS thinks there's at least some merit to Trump's argument, otherwise they would not have taken up this appeal. What surprised you most about Thursday's hearing?   I've seen over 400 oral arguments at the Supreme Court, and have personally argued 51 cases there. Most of the time, I can walk out of the courtroom with a good sense of what the justices are going to do. This was not one of those times. I don't think either attorney walked out feeling like a clear winner today — and that's both a real surprise and a real concern. I still don't think the court is even remotely prepared to embrace the idea of absolute immunity put forth by Trump. But they might give him something — and that's a big problem in my mind. If you give Trump an inch, he'll take a mile, and this is a case where they shouldn't give him anything at all.   Read more exclusive insights from Jen Psaki here. And tune into "Inside with Jen Psaki" Mondays at 8 p.m. ET, and Sundays at 12 p.m. ET on MSNBC. 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The feature documentary takes an intimate look back at the fight against HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles and the community that changed the course of the epidemic. Watch "Commitment to Life," tomorrow at 9pm Eastern on MSNBC and streaming now on Peacock. MSNBC INSIGHTS Have you ever wanted to provide MSNBC with your opinion about their TV programs, documentaries, and digital products, such as MSNBC.com, newsletters, and podcasts? Now is your chance! Join the MSNBC Insights Community. This weekend on MSNBC SATURDAY MSNBC's "The Weekend" at 8am ET: Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.)… Laura Jarrett… Ankush Khardori MSNBC presents special coverage of the White House Correspondents'' Dinner at 8pm ET SUNDAY MSNBC's "Velshi" at 10am ET: Tennessee State Rep. Gloria Johnson… Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones… Fmr. federal judge J. 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