WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden has warned that the US Supreme Court’s milestone ruling on presidential immunity sets a “dangerous precedent” that former President Donald Trump would exploit if elected in November.
The high court ruled earlier that day that President Trump — and all presidents — enjoy “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution for “official acts” taken while in office, but can face criminal penalties for “unofficial acts.”
Donald Trump is facing criminal charges over his attempts to overturn his 2020 polls loss to President Biden, but that trial had been put on hold while the apex court in the US considered his immunity claims.
In a statement, President Biden said that for all practical purposes today’s verdict almost certainly means there are no limits to what a president can do and this is a fundamentally new principle, and termed it a dangerous precedent.
The ruling on Monday, split along ideological lines, is set to further delay proceedings in Donald Trump’s case as lower courts work through countless questions raised in the decision of the SC.
Biden stated that the people of the US must decide if they want to entrust… once again, the presidency to Trump. Trump was fast to revel in what he called a “big win.”
Chief Justice John Roberts said a president is “not above the law” but does have “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution for official actions taken while in office. Roberts stated that the president therefore may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers.
Earlier, both a District Court and an appeals court panel had rejected Donald Trump’s immunity claims in a historic case with far-reaching implications for executive power.
The former President is charged with conspiracy to defraud the US as well as obstruction of an official proceeding — when a mob of his supporters attempted to stop the January 6, 2021, joint session of Congress held to certify Biden’s win.
Trump is also charged with conspiracy to reject Americans the right to vote and to have their votes calculated.
The three justices disagreed from Monday’s verdict with Justice Sonia Sotomayor saying she was doing so “with fear for our democracy.”
Trump, in posts on Truth Social, lauded the decision calling it a “big win for our Constitution and democracy.”
Donald Trump was convicted in New York in May of fabricating business records to cover up a scandal in the final phases of the 2016 campaign, making him the first ex-president ever convicted of a crime.
If reelected, Donald Trump could, once sworn in as president of the US in January 2025, order the federal cases against him closed.
