Earlier this week, former President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to put his Washington, D.C. criminal case on hold while it considers whether to take up his claim of presidential immunity.

According to NBC News, Special Counsel Jack Smith responded by filing a response on Wednesday asking that the Court reject Trump's petition. What's more, Smith is scrambling to have the matter resolved as soon as possible.

Smith calls on justices to reject Trump's claim

Trump maintains that the actions he took following the 2020 election were within the scope of his duties as president, thus rendering him immune from prosecution.

That argument was rejected by Judge Judge Tanya Chutkan, with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit affirming her ruling earlier this month.

Special counsel Jack Smith has asked the Supreme Court to reject an emergency application filed by former President Trump that sought to further delay Trump's criminal trial arising from efforts to overturn the 2020 election. https://t.co/Kzh4gYYpy8

— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 15, 2024

In his filing, Smith stated that the case "involves federal criminal charges against a former president for alleged criminal efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election, including through the use of official power."

The special prosecutor also called upon America's highest judicial body to fast-track Trump's case should the justices decide to take it up.

Special counsel says speeding up case "has unique national importance"

"Delay in the resolution of these charges threatens to frustrate the public interest in a speedy and fair verdict — a compelling interest in every criminal case and one that has unique national importance here," Smith wrote.

He thus asked for the matter to be resolved "as promptly as possible" and suggested that oral arguments might take place next month, which would allow for a ruling before the Court's term concludes in June.

Smith suggested the court could hear oral arguments as soon as next month, giving time for a ruling before the end of June, when the court's term typically concludes.

Meanwhile, The Washington Times noted that if Trump's case is put on the Court's regular calendar then it might not be resolved until after this year's election.

Legal expert: Trump is attempting "to push this trial back" past November

While many conservatives believe Smith wants to speed up Trump's case in order to harm his chances at reelection, legal expert Jonathan Turley doesn't believe the Supreme Court will be eager to accommodate him.

"As we move toward the election date, it gets more controversial to have a trial of this kind within a couple of months of the election," Newsweek quoted the George Washington University Law School professor as telling Fox News in December.

While Turley is skeptical that Trump's claim of immunity will ultimately prove successful, he said that pursuing it may help "to push this trial back" until after voters go to the polls.