Supreme Court to weigh Trump immunity claim over 2020 election prosecution. Here are the details. [Video]

Washington — The Supreme Court is set to consider Thursday whether former President Donald Trump is entitled to sweeping immunity from federal prosecution for conduct that occurred while he was in the White House, thrusting the justices into election-year politics in a historic case with significant ramifications for his legal and political future.

Known as Trump v. U.S., the dispute is the second this term in which the nation’s highest court will step into a legal battle that presents a question it has never confronted before, and one with consequences for the former president and the November election. 

Its decision will be crucial for determining whether special counsel Jack Smith’s case against Trump can head to trial. A ruling in Trump’s favor would bring the prosecution to an end. But if Smith prevails — as he has done twice in lower courts— and Trump’s claims of immunity are rejected, the case would pick back up after being paused for …