Three judges urgently warn of the consequences of the Trump ruling
The three nominated judges by the democratic US President have criticized the Supreme Court ruling as a disaster. Even for a political murder or a coup attempt, a President cannot be held accountable for the ruling.
In a dissenting opinion on the US Supreme Court's ruling, three judges sharply criticized the decision of the majority. Justice Sonia Sotomayor writes in her statement that the decision to grant former Presidents immunity for actions taken in office is "an affront to the principle that is the foundation of our Constitution and our system of government, that no one is above the law." Two other judges joined her assessment.
The majority of the Supreme Court justices ruled that former Presidents enjoy "absolute immunity" for actions they undoubtedly performed in office. In this case, it concerned a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump. He is accused of attempting to manipulate the results of the 2020 presidential election. The lawsuit was filed in August by Special Counsel Jack Smith at a federal court in Washington.
Whether Trump would enjoy immunity for attempting to manipulate election results was not decided by the Supreme Court. The case was sent back to the court in Washington to rule on.
"Coup? Immun."
The Supreme Court has effectively created a lawless zone around the President, writes Sotomayor in her statement. The immunity for official actions of the President is a "welcome weapon" for any President who wants "to put his own interests, his political survival, or his financial gains above the interests of the Nation." Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson supported Sotomayor's statement. Kagan and Sotomayor were nominated for their position by the then US President Barack Obama, Jackson by the incumbent Joe Biden. The six other judges were proposed by Republican Presidents, including three by Trump.
Sotomayor uses dramatic examples to underscore her criticism of the ruling. Literally, she writes: "The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the Country, possibly the World. If he uses his powers in a certain way, as the majority [of the Court] sees it, he is shielded from criminal prosecution in the future. He orders Navy Seal Team 6 [a special unit of the US Navy], to kill a political rival? Immun. He organizes a military coup to stay in power? Immun. He takes bribes as consideration for a pardon? Immun. Immun, immun, immun."
The six conservative justices disagree with this assessment in their judgment: "The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial actions, and not everything the President does is official. The President is not above the law."
Trump rejoiced over the decision. On his social media platform Truth Social, he wrote, in all capital letters, that the ruling was a "great victory for our Constitution and Democracy." He added: "Proud to be an American."
- The controversy surrounding former President Donald Trump's involvement in the US presidential election 2020 reached the Supreme Court, with Special Counsel Jack Smith accusing him of attempting to manipulate election results.
- Amidst the ongoing US presidential election 2024, the Supreme Court's ruling on Presidential immunity has drawn intense criticism from certain judges, who argue that it could potentially pave the way for future abuses of power.
- Following the Supreme Court's decision granting former Presidents 'absolute immunity' for actions taken in office, there are concerns that incidents like Storming the Capitol in Washington could potentially be shielded from legal accountability for future Presidents, should they decide to engage in similar activities.
