Wow! The Supreme Court apparently inadvertently handed over Donald Trump a victory weeks after his conviction on 34 charges. It ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, by AP.
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Since Trump’s conviction, there have been questions about his eligibility in the race for the White House. So that means Washington’s criminal case against Donald Trump over allegations he plotted to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat is delayed. He likely won’t see a conviction before the election in November.
More details on the Supreme Court’s immunity decision
The court’s conservative majority won the vote in a 6-3 decision. Note that Donald Trump appointed three of the justices to the court. The court’s decision highlighted how judges have been thrust into an impactful role in November’s presidential election.
They have previously rejected efforts to bar Trump from the ballot because of his actions after the 2020 election. The court also last week limited an obstruction charge faced by Trump and used against hundreds of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, 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 for the court. “And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.”
The chief justice of the Supreme Court insisted that the president is “not above the law.” But in a vehement dissent from the court’s three liberals, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote: “In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.”
Donald Trump reacts to the decision
Trump wasted no time celebrating the news. On Monday, he posted on his social media platform Truth in all caps.
“GREAT VICTORY FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!”
President Joe Biden’s campaign said in a statement that the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling “does not change the facts” about the events of Jan. 6.
Under Monday’s ruling, a former president could be prosecuted for accepting a bribe, but prosecutors would not be able to cite the official act, the appointment, in his case.
The job of figuring out how to proceed will fall to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who will preside over Trump’s trial. Before the Supreme Court got involved, a lower court judge and a three-judge appellate panel unanimously ruled that Trump could be prosecuted for actions taken while he was in the White House and in the run-up to Jan. 6.
Chutkan ruled against Trump’s immunity claim in December. In his ruling, Chutkan said the office of president “does not confer a lifetime ‘get out of jail free’ card.”
More on Trump’s latest moves
Additionally, the former president is in the news cycle for his first presidential debate against Democratic candidate Joe Biden. The presidential opponents faced off in a heated and chilly debate, complete with personal insults and questions about who won the people’s favor and who gave the best answers in the debate.
If you heard someone talking about “jobs for blacks”, they are citing one of the many viral moments from the debate.
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Associated Press staffer Mark Sherman contributed to this report.
What do you think, roommates?