Donald Trump was quick to celebrate a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing presidential immunity for official acts while in office, a decision his opponents described as ‘unjustifiable’ and ‘dangerous.’

Washington

The 2024 United States presidential election between Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump is set to take place this November. 

U.S. Presidential Election

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that presidents have "some immunity" for official acts conducted while in office. This decision came amid criminal accusations against former President Donald Trump related to attempts to subvert the 2020 election results and instigating the January 6th Capitol riot. The court ruled that a president has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within their constitutional authority, but not for unofficial acts. The exact definition of "unofficial acts" has been referred to lower courts for clarification.

The ruling has provoked strong reactions. Justice Sonia Sotomayor delivered a scathing dissent, calling the decision unjustifiable and a reshaping of the presidency. She expressed concern that the ruling undermines the principle that no one is above the law. President Joe Biden also criticized the decision, warning it sets a dangerous precedent and could lead to an emboldened presidency. He emphasized the implications for the upcoming presidential election, urging the American people to consider whether they want to re-elect Trump under these new circumstances.

Trump has welcomed the ruling, describing it as a significant win for democracy. However, opponents, including Biden and Sotomayor, fear it may grant presidents almost limitless power during their tenure. The debate around the ruling highlights the deep divisions in American politics and the ongoing fallout from the events of January 6th.



U.S. Supreme Court rules Presidents have 'some immunity'

Outside, the U.S. Supreme Court, as soon as the ruling came down, outrage over the ruling itself and the former president at the center of it. He's a tyrant. He's a con man. He's the devil. He's dangerous Donald Trump. At issue for the court, criminal accusations against then-President Donald Trump for trying to subvert the 2020 election results ahead of the attempted insurrection on Capitol Hill January 6th, 2021. The question, is Trump immune from prosecution on it simply because he was president? Said the court, in a sweeping ruling, a U.S. president can have absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his constitutional authority. Then adding, there is no immunity for unofficial acts. So what is an unofficial act? It now goes back to lower courts for clarity, meaning a key federal case against Trump will likely now take many more months to play out, perhaps well past the coming presidential election. Among those who opposed the ruling, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who took the rare step of reading her scathing dissent out loud in the courtroom. In it, she called the ruling unjustifiable and said, it reshapes the institution of the presidency. A mockery of the principle that no man is above the law. On all of that, in a dramatic evening statement from the White House, Joe Biden. It's a dangerous precedent. His campaign for re-election in turmoil after that dismal performance at the debate last week, Biden slammed the court's rulings. Today's decision almost certainly means that there are virtually no limits on what a president can do. In so doing, highlighting the stakes for the November election. The American people must decide. They want to entrust the president once again, the presidency to Donald Trump. Now knowing he'll be more emboldened to do whatever he pleases, whenever he wants to do it. And Paul, Joe Biden was certainly hinting at this tonight. A big question for so many. What if Trump wins in November? Yeah, well, I'll preface by saying for his part, Trump welcomed the court's ruling, Erica, calling it a big win for democracy. But on what this means, if he's reelected, look, Joe Biden's view is he could do almost anything he wants. And on that, Biden points to January 6th. But consider too a bit more of what Justice Sotomayor had to say in her dissent. She wrote that with this ruling, a President Trump could, for example, order SEAL Team Six to assassinate a political rival and then be immune from prosecution for it. Not that he would, but that he could. Some say she's overstating the true impact of the ruling, but it's a sobering perspective nonetheless. Paul Hunter in Washington.

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