/2019/12/09/1149848417p.jpg)
DONALD TRUMP - WASHINGTON. The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear President Donald Trump’s appeals in three separate cases to prevent his financial records, including tax returns, being handed over to Democratic-led House of Representatives committees and a New York prosecutor.
The Republican president is trying to block subpoenas for bank records, tax returns or other materials demanded by various Democratic-led House of Representatives committees investigating corruption or foreign meddling in the U.S. elections process. The House probes are not part of the Democratic-led impeachment proceedings against Trump over his dealings with Ukraine.
Read Also: Mexico objects to labor enforcement provision in North American trade deal
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, a Democrat, is seeking Trump’s tax returns in a criminal investigation of the president, the Trump Organization and his family real estate business.
The court will hold oral arguments in March, with rulings due by the end of June.
“We are pleased that the Supreme Court granted review of the President’s three pending cases. These cases raise significant constitutional issues,” said Jay Sekulow, one of Trump’s lawyers.
Democratic leaders in the House expressed disappointment that the justices’ decision to hear the cases will result in further delay.
Read Also: What's in the U.S.-China phase one trade deal
“Unfortunately, the American people will now have to wait several more months for final rulings,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. “We are confident that the Supreme Court ... will uphold the Constitution, the rulings of the lower courts and ensure that Congressional oversight can proceed.”
A spokesman for Vance declined to comment.
The cases are a test for how the justices view Trump’s arguments that the subpoenas are a threat to the presidency, on the one hand, and the need for lawmakers or prosecutors for information to pursue legislation or criminal investigations on the other.
The court has a 5-4 conservative majority including two Trump appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
The justices’ decision to review the legality of the subpoenas investigating Trump’s conduct adds another politically-contentious issue to a court term that already includes high-profile cases on abortion, LGBT worker rights, gun rights and the fate of “dreamer” immigrants brought illegally to the United States as children.
Read Also: Oil hits 3-month high as trade hopes, UK election lift sentiment
