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The Supreme Court delivered a decisive blow to former Trump adviser Peter Navarro's attempts to avoid further prison time over his contempt of Congress conviction. This marks the second rejection from the highest court, solidifying Navarro's impending
prison term.
Navarro's legal saga took another turn when, in an emergency plea last month, he implored the Supreme Court to allow him to remain free while he contested his conviction in the federal appeals court. However, Chief Justice John Roberts swiftly denied this request on March 18, leading Navarro to report to prison the following day.
In a desperate move, Navarro resubmitted his plea, this time to Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump,s inaugural nominee to the high court. While Supreme Court rules permit parties to resubmit emergency applications to another justice after a single justice's denial, this
tactic hasn't found success in decades. Gorsuch, in turn, deferred the request to the full court, which convened for a closed-door conference on Friday and ultimately rebuffed Navarro's plea on Monday, providing no commentary on the decision.
Navarro's legal team initially argued for a pause in the lower court's ruling, contending that he posed no flight risk and raised significant legal questions. They asserted that his appeal would likely challenge his conviction's validity or necessitate a new trial.
However, both lower courts swiftly rejected similar appeals.
Chief Justice Roberts, in his brief opinion last month, underscored that Navarro had forfeited any challenge to the notion that, even if entitled to executive privilege, he could evade congressional subpoenas. Roberts found no merit in Navarro's arguments,
reinforcing the lower court's conclusions.
Navarro's conviction stemmed from his failure to comply with congressional subpoenasfor documents and testimony related to the House's investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack. While his underlying case remains pending before the appeals
court, the Supreme Court's recent decision has left Navarro with limited legal recourse, underscoring the gravity of his situation.
