Washington — A federal judge in Washington rejected former President Donald Trump's claim of absolute immunity in a civil lawsuit involving his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The opinion issued Monday from U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan stemmed from a suit filed by the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, NAACP and three Michigan voters, who together accused the former president and the Republican National Committee (RNC) of violating federal voting rights and civil rights law by conspiring to disenfranchise voters and keep Trump in office despite his electoral loss.
The groups asked Sullivan, who sits on the federal district court in Washington, to allow them to amend their complaint to address concerns regarding their claim under the Voting Rights Act and add new factual allegations regarding conduct by the RNC and Trump.
The party and Trump opposed the request, with the former president arguing in part that he has absolute immunity from damages for acts conducted within the "outer perimeter" of his official responsibility as president. Trump's lawyers told the court his actions surrounding the 2020 election were taken to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution."
Sullivan granted the request from the civil rights groups to file the amended complaint, issuing his 23-page opinion finding that Trump's conduct was "purely political" and fell outside the scope of the president's official duties.
"If Former President Trump...
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