In a unanimous ruling on Tuesday, a federal appeals court declared that Donald Trump is not shielded from criminal prosecution concerning his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election loss.

The three-judge appeals panel categorically dismissed Trump’s assertion that he was immune to charges in the case due to his status as president during the alleged offenses.

“We cannot accept that the office of the Presidency places its former occupants above the law for all time thereafter,” said the panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

“For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant,” the panel wrote in a 57-page opinion. “But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution.”

The recent ruling marks another significant legal setback for Donald Trump, who is currently the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, CNBC reported.

Anticipated to promptly seek Supreme Court intervention to overturn the decision or request a rehearing of the case by the entire appeals court panel, Trump faces an uphill legal battle.

The latest ruling, affirming the decision made by the district court judge handling the case, heightens the likelihood that Trump will face trial before the upcoming November election.

Written by B.C. Begley