Michael Cohen Is Taking His Fight Against Trump to the Supreme Court

Can Trump be liable for allegedly jailing Cohen as a suspected act of revenge during his presidency?

Michael Cohen, former attorney to President Donald Trump, leaves his apartment building before beginning his prison term.
Michael Cohen, former attorney to President Donald Trump, took the fall for his ex-boss, and served time in federal prison. Kevin Hagen/AP

Michael Cohen wants the Supreme Court to address a pivotal question that touches on Donald Trump’s promise to seek “retribution” against his enemies: Can Trump be held liable for allegedly jailing Cohen as a suspected act of revenge during his presidency?

On Wednesday, Cohen is asking the high court to review a case that asks whether average American citizens can hold an American president accountable for leveraging federal law enforcement as a weapon against political adversaries.

Although Cohen’s own advisers consider it a long-shot request given the current makeup of the conservative-leaning court, the court case comes at a pivotal time, just a week after it granted Trump broad immunity for all kinds of potentially criminal behavior and redefined the kind of unchecked power afforded a U.S. president.