SCOTUS grants Office of the President immunity for official acts
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) — In a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority gave the office of the president absolute immunity for core official acts of the office.
“The nature of presidential power entitles a former president to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in he decision.
The court went further, granting the office “poresumptive immunity for other official acts. The case came as a result of election subversion charges against Donald Trump, and it could kneecap any attempts to convict on said charges.
That case was sent back to the lower courts, meaning the trial will almost certainly not happen before November.
“There’s now a message sent for future presidents that may very well be whatever I choose to do that somebody might call criminal, I’m going to make sure that I’m talking to my attorney general or somebody that keeps this within the realm of official conduct,” Political analyst Paul Lisnek said.
The justices did say that presidents do not have immunity for unofficial acts, or any actions taken outside of the scope of the office. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the ruling a “big win for our constitution and democracy.”
Many disagreed with that sentiment.
“No one should be above the law, not even a sitting united states president. And yet today’s ultra-conservative supreme court majority ruled that not just Donald Trump, but future presidents, may be immune from abusing the levers of government to overturn an election or engage in other misconduct,” Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) said.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor had harsher words about the ruling in her dissent.
“It makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our constitution and system of government, that no man is above the law,” Justice Sotomayor said.
She ended her explanation with a direct line.
“With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”
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