Peter Navarro, the former trade advisor to President Donald Trump, has found his request for release from prison during his appeal firmly rejected by the Supreme Court for the second time. This rejection leaves Navarro to serve out his sentence, having already been denied by Chief Justice John Roberts and now by the full court after a referral from Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Navarro, 74, who had been a staunch supporter of Trump and his trade policies, found himself in legal trouble after defying a subpoena from the House January 6 committee. He was sentenced in January to four months in prison for contempt of Congress. He subsequently sought to remain free while appealing his conviction, but this request has now been twice rebuffed by the nation’s highest court.
Navarro’s legal team’s persistence in seeking his release was met with silence from the Supreme Court, which offered no accompanying explanation to their decision. The absence of any dissent noted in the orders suggests a consensus among the justices, reflecting either a unanimous agreement with Roberts’ initial denial or a view that further commentary on the decision was unnecessary.
Chief Justice Roberts had previously penned a brief opinion when Navarro first reported to prison, stating that he saw “no basis to disagree” with the lower courts’ rulings that Navarro had forfeited any arguments related to executive privilege—a key component of Navarro’s defense. The defense had argued that Navarro believed he was protected by executive privilege when he defied the subpoena, yet no evidence suggested such privilege had been formally invoked.
Navarro’s legal team initially asserted that it was justified to halt the lower court’s decision denying his request to avoid imprisonment, emphasizing that he posed no flight risk and raised significant legal questions. Navarro argued his appeal would “raise a number of issues on appeal that he contends are likely to result in the reversal of his conviction, or a new trial.”
The layers of the judicial system have not favored Navarro, with both the district court and a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit turning down his earlier appeals. This includes an effort by Navarro to delay his sentence on the grounds that his prosecution violated the separation of powers doctrine and that the appeal raises questions never before answered.
While the Supreme Court’s decision directly affects Navarro’s immediate freedom, his underlying appeal remains unresolved and is still pending in the Washington federal appeals court. However, given the timing of legal proceedings, with the final briefing on his appeal not due until July 18, Navarro will likely have served his full sentence with his release date listed as July 17, assuming no earlier release for factors like good behavior.
Relevant articles:
– A 15-year-old law review by Brett Kavanaugh offers a clue at how the Supreme Court Justice could rule in Trump’s immunity case, Business Insider, 04/30/2024
– Supreme Court rejects Peter Navarro’s latest bid for release from prison during appeal, CBS News, Mon, 29 Apr 2024 14:33:44 GMT
– Supreme Court rejects Peter Navarro’s long-shot prison release bid, MSNBC, Mon, 29 Apr 2024 16:38:57 GMT
– Peter Navarro’s get-out-of-jail request is again rejected by the Supreme Court, CNN, Mon, 29 Apr 2024 14:04:00 GMT
– Supreme Court won’t let former Trump aide Peter Navarro out of jail while he appeals sentence, CNBC, Mon, 29 Apr 2024 15:34:39 GMT