"The chief justice’s Feb. 22 memo, jump-starting the justices’ formal discussion on whether to hear the case... tore into the appellate court opinion greenlighting Mr. Trump’s trial..."

"... calling it inadequate and poorly reasoned. On one key point, he complained, the lower court judges 'failed to grapple with the most difficult questions altogether.' He wrote not only that the Supreme Court should take the case — which would stall the trial — but also how the justices should decide it. 'I think it likely that we will view the separation of powers analysis differently' from the appeals court, he wrote. In other words: grant Mr. Trump greater protection from prosecution."

From "How Roberts Shaped Trump’s Supreme Court Winning Streak/Behind the scenes, the chief justice molded three momentous Jan. 6 and election cases that helped determine the former president’s fate" (NYT)(reporting based on hearing from "several people from the court who saw the document").