Former US President Donald Trump praised the US Supreme Court on Monday for ruling that a president has extensive protection for “official acts” during their tenure, even if he’s still not quite out of the woods regarding the Capitol riots.
The 78-year-old Trump had urged the Supreme Court to uphold the notion that a president has “absolute” immunity from prosecution in order to defend himself against allegations in the 2020 election subversion case.
“BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!” Trump stated on Truth Social following the verdict.
On Monday, the court decided by a vote of 6-3 that former presidents are protected from prosecution for acts they commit while acting in their official role under the constitution, but not for the actions taken in a private capacity.
The ruling will strengthen Trump’s defense against federal accusations related to his attempts to rig the 2020 election, which President Joe Biden won. It might also have an impact on Georgia’s similar state-level election meddling allegations.
What Supreme Court has to say
Chief Justice John Roberts announced the historic ruling made by court’s six-justice conservative majority. The three liberal justices of the court disagreed.
“The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official. The President is not above the law,” Roberts wrote.
The judges emphasised that immunity doesn’t only apply to Trump but to “all occupants of the Oval Office, regardless of politics, policy, or party.”
On Monday, Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor vehemently disagreed with the majority’s decision, contending that the decision essentially legitimizes the misuse of authority.
“Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune,” she wrote.
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Democrats call Supreme Court’s ruling
A number of Democrats condemned the ruling of the Supreme Court. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive congresswoman, decried the decision as a “assault on American democracy.”
“The Supreme Court has become consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control. Today’s ruling represents an assault on American democracy. It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture,” she wrote.
AOC further stated that she intend on filing articles of impeachment upon Democrats’ return.
Democrats portray Trump as a danger to democracy by pointing out his attempts to rig the 2020 election, which they claim led to Capitol riots on January 6 by his supporters.
Meanwhile, US Congressman Byron Donalds backed the Supreme Court’s decision, stating that US President “is unable to properly serve” the countrymen and defend the nation without immunity.
“In today’s precedent-setting, 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court did right by President Trump, they did right by the American people, and they did right by the hallowed institution of the Presidency of the United States,” he wrote.
He further called Jack Smith’s indictment a “disgrace to our legal system” and “it’s time that our nation turns the page on this egregious lawfare because President Trump did nothing wrong.”
