Welcome to Supreme Court Brief, your go-to column on the day's high court news. My name is Jimmy Hoover. I started covering the court for the National Law Journal in April 2023.

The justices added yet another politically explosive case to the docket on Wednesday afternoon, agreeing to hear former President Donald Trump's claim he is immune from prosecution by Special Counsel Jack Smith over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The court has delayed Trump's trial in D.C. federal court until it resolves the immunity issue. The court agreed to Smith's request to fast-track its review in the case, and set oral arguments for the week of April 22, signaling a decision by the end of June, well before the election.

The specific question the justices will resolve asks: "Whether and if so to what extent does a former President enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office." The court noted it was pausing the trial court proceedings "[w]ithout expressing a view on the merits."