US appeals court says Trump must face civil lawsuits over US Capitol attack

Ruling clears way for Trump to face lawsuits from police and lawmakers seeking to hold him responsible for violence

A US appeals court on Friday ruled that Donald Trump must face civil lawsuits over his role in the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol by his supporters, rejecting the former president's claim that he is immune.

A panel of the US court of appeals for the District of Columbia circuit found that Trump was acting in his personal capacity as a presidential candidate" when he urged his supporters to march to the Capitol. US presidents are immune from civil lawsuits only for official actions. Part of the lawsuit was filed under the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act, a Reconstruction-era law, which makes it illegal to prevent an officer of the United States from performing their duties through threats or intimidation.