Democrats are calling for the Supreme Court to be expanded after its conservative majority ruled that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority that a former president has “absolute immunity” for acts that fall “within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority” and is entitled to presumptive immunity for all official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial, or private, acts.
The court’s three liberal justices criticized the majority’s opinion in scathing dissents, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing that “in every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.”
The court didn’t dismiss the indictment alleging former president Donald Trump plotted to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden. The decision sends the case back to a lower court, where U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan must conduct further analysis to determine whether the actions Trump is accused of were official or not.
But it amounts to a major victory for Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, as it makes it all but certain that he will not face trial in Washington ahead of November’s election.
Trump celebrated the ruling as a “BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY.”
Biden said in remarks on Monday evening that the court had done a “terrible disservice to the people of this nation.” The American people, he said, “deserve to have an answer in the courts” before the November election.
The ruling has prompted Democratic lawmakers to push various measures to overhaul the court.
The proposals—which including expanding the court, imposing a binding code of ethics and passing term limits—are all unlikely to come to fruition any time soon, since Republicans narrowly control the House.
In a statement responding to the court’s ruling, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said House Democrats “will engage in aggressive oversight and legislative activity with respect to the Supreme Court.”
The aim will be to “ensure that the extreme, far-right justices in the majority are brought into compliance with the Constitution,” he said.
Rep. Hank Johnson, of Virginia, called on Congress to pass legislation that would expand the court from nine to 13 justices, as well as other legislation that would require justices to adopt a binding code of conduct. The judges adopted a code of conduct last year following sustained criticism over undisclosed gifts and trips to some justices, but it lacks any means of enforcement.
“This ruling, and this session of the court, has been brutally assaultive on democracy and the rule of law, and we must expand the court and pass term limits to protect what constitutional order remains intact,” Johnson said in a statement in response to the immunity ruling.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, of New Jersey, said lawmakers “must take all available measures to reign in the increasingly unfettered power of this radical court, including a binding code of ethics and expanding the number of justices.”
She said that six people “who were never elected cannot be allowed to continue destroying our democracy.”
The court is “beholden to right-wing groups and the billionaire mega-donors that fund them,” Minnesota Senator Tina Smith wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“The Supreme Court is broken. The remedy is clear. Expand the Court.”
The lawmakers have been contacted for further comment via email.
Discover more from Next Gen News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
America calls for total ban of all democrats. They hate God our constitution our country and us. HOW ABOUT WE GIVE THEM WHST THEY BEG FOR. GRAVE.
It is the right thing to do BUT it will require a complete control of the senate to get it done.
Instead, Biden DOJ should arrest Donald Trump under the suspicion that he kept and sold secrets from the USA to foreign enemies and to keep him from selling more of them. As per SCOTUS ruling, the President is immune from prosecution from any action he takes to protect our country.
Trump probably did this, BUT it does not really matter. By the time the investigation and trial is over, it would be past the election and the Republican would be forced to pick a different candidate. Biden may give the Republicans an excuse for impeachment, but good luck getting guilty verdict in a very divided Senate.
Now Biden would not do this, because “it would set a bad precedent”…..but neither Trump nor the right wingers would have any qualms using this new Royal Decree from SCOTUS as long as they gain power.
Our country is Royally Fu-k
“The court’s three liberal justices criticized the majority’s opinion in scathing dissents, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor writing that “in every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.”
One of the three ‘diversity hire’ justices has spoken, that’s the Alpha & Omega on the subject, nothing more can be or need be said!
Why is it every time a republican gets a win in court the democrats are ready to dismantle but when the democrats win they see as a life changing event. AOC really needs to get a life. She has the biggest mouth besides Watters that really needs shut. If you democrats just did your jobs you took an oath to do then you would be making our lives better not destroy us. I really hope you get ousted and I don’t even care how. Tired of your tantrums like a Biden. Do we need to send Jill into your room? I’ll bet no one is putting for Biden’s criminal activities like Obama’s criminal activities are they so you take it out on President Trump because he loves us and America and knows all your democrats and rino’s corruption and it goes deep and wide right Sonya?