WASHINGTON, D.C.— A U.S. federal appeals court three-judge panel in Washington, D.C.  ruled against former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, paving the way for a celebrated  trial on charges that he illegally sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election and tossing his claim and that of his lawyers that  he is  immune from prosecution.

Trump has vowed to appeal to the U.S. Supreme court where three of the nine justices are his appointments and it is not clear whether the high court will take up the case.

Prosecutors say the former president orchestrated events that led to the Jan 6 2021 Capitol riot. His attorneys say he is innocent and immune from prosecution relative to  actions occurring while he was president.

In a case of first impression, the appeals court discarded every argument raised by Trump's legal team and ruled that neither Trump nor any other president has unbounded authority or presidential immunity to commit crimes in office free from prosecution.

The  57-page appeals court decision that is unanimous and cites case law back to the 1800s comes as the 2024 presidential election nears with Trump the front-runner for the Republican nomination and current Democratic president Joe Biden seeking reelection as the likely Democratic nominee.

The former president still faces trials in several other jurisdictions on a host of  criminal charges, including in Florida as to his Mar-a-Lago estate classified documents case, and the New York case involving hush money to former porn operative Stormy Daniels.