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South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham will have to appear before a grand jury in Georgia after the Supreme Court rejected his bid to block his testimony.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and subpoenaed Graham to testify about phone calls he made to top election officials in the state. Graham has refused to testify, arguing that he is exempt under the Constitution's Speech or Debate clause because the phone calls were made as part of his legislative duties.
In an unsigned order, the Supreme Court sided with previous rulings of the lower courts that Graham must testify before the grand jury. However, the Justices did note that Graham could still refuse to answer questions about his legislative duties and said his lawyers could object to specific questions on a case-by-case basis.
"The lower courts also made clear that Senator Graham may return to the District Court should disputes arise regarding the application of the Speech or Debate Clause immunity to specific questions. Accordingly, a stay or injunction is not necessary to safeguard the Senator's Speech or Debate Clause immunity," the Justices wrote.
Graham is currently scheduled to testify on November 17.