The United States Supreme Court has given former President Donald J. Trump near immunity from prosecution—a lifeline from his litany of legal troubles that could have derailed his bid to return to the White House.
In a landmark decision on Monday, read by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court held that although “the president is not above the law, the Congress may not criminalize the president’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the executive branch under the Constitution.”
The case was regarding Trump’s role in the 2020 post-election.
The ruling was made by a 6-3 majority of the 9-man court—at least 3 of whom were appointed by President Trump while in office.
The judgment says a U.S. president may be held accountable for actions taken in his private capacity but not in his capacity as president of the United States.
The court found Trump cannot be prosecuted for any actions that were within his constitutional powers as president but can be prosecuted for private acts. This landmark ruling recognized for the first time any form of presidential immunity from prosecution.
Many analysts think the judgment jumped out of the playbook of third-world democracies such as Nigeria, where presidents are clothed with the cloak of immunity, often leading to abuse of office and corruption.
Biden Raise Alarm
President Joe Biden, who himself was hoping any litigation would cut Trump to size and edge him out of the race for the November election, cried foul.
In a speech immediately after, Mr. Biden denounced the third arm of government for undermining U.S. democracy and running the risk of setting the country on the path of dictatorship,
Biden called presidential immunity a “dangerous precedent” that could turn presidents into kings and called on the American people to “dissent” by rejecting Donald Trump in November’s election, as though he himself would not enjoy the immunity after leaving office.
“This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America. Each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law. Not even the president of the United States,” Biden said.
He said the court’s decision meant there were now virtually no limits on what a president could do.
“It’s a dangerous precedent, because the power of the office will no longer be constrained by the law,” Biden said. “The only limits will be self-imposed by the president alone.”
Biden, 81, was making his first remarks at the White House since his shaky debate against Trump last week led to calls for him to step aside as the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer for the election.
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