📩 Supreme Court Ruling on Presidential Immunity; Statement by Coalition Partners
🗽A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
People Power United is a proud member of the United for Democracy coalition. In response to the Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity Trump v. United States case, several coalition partners, released these statements:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that offers presidents absolute immunity for “official acts,” protecting future presidents from prosecution for a range of illegal activity, including everything from accepting bribes to political assassination. Stasha Rhodes, Campaign Director of United for Democracy, issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. United States:
“The Supreme Court’s MAGA supermajority has taken a sledgehammer to the foundational principles of our Constitution and democratic system of government. For centuries, America has built itself upon the ideal that no person is above the law. Today, Donald Trump’s compromised Court undid that most basic principle – shielding presidents from prosecution through a wholly made up idea that they have ‘absolute immunity.’
“Even for this Court, today’s ruling goes beyond the pale. This is existentially dangerous territory that the MAGA justices are taking us into. Donald Trump appointed three of the justices responsible for issuing a decision that allows for him to be held to a wildly different standard than average Americans. The justices’ corruption is so brazen that they didn’t bother to pretend that they care about the optics this time. This is what their relentless power grab looks like.
“Justice Sotomayor said it best: ‘With fear for our democracy, I dissent.’ Like Sotomayor, we – and our coalition that represents tens of millions of Americans throughout the country – dissent. We refuse to accept this string of appalling rulings as our new reality. If we needed any more evidence about how broken the Supreme Court is, and how badly it needs to be fixed, we got it today. The only way to fix the Court is to ensure we have leaders in Congress who will use their authority to reverse this damage before it is too late.”
“Today, the Court’s conservative majority rules that Donald Trump is very likely immune for literally every act that took place between November 3, 2020, and January 6, 2021. The Court believes he was allowed to pressure his attorney general with termination, intimidate state officials to change the election’s outcome, and instigate a violent mob to attack the Capitol — all because he was president at the time. This decision is a disaster for the rule of law.
“The founders made clear that presidents were not kings. The justices seemed rusty on their lessons from fifth grade social studies when they granted this case, but it turns out they meant to rewrite the principles of our democracy. Elected leaders must be held accountable for their actions, particularly if and when they abuse the power of their office for personal gain. Subverting democracy to cling to power is anathema to the Constitution and the values of this country — no matter who does it in what role. Our democracy depends on its ability to properly investigate and prosecute those who would seek to undermine it. The Supreme Court has just enabled American dictators.
“Just as nearly every citizen can aspire to be president, every citizen should be held accountable for their actions. The Supreme Court had a simple task here: to ratify the nation’s common understanding that no one is above the law. They are instead placing their thumb on the scale, and not on the side of equal justice. Every president, regardless of party, should respect (and fear) the law. After today’s decision, they have no earthly reason to do so.” - Alliance for Justice President Rakim Brooks
“The framers of our Constitution made it clear: the president of the United States is not a king. The conservative majority's opinion today runs counter to that founding principle, with the dissenting justices rightly noting that ‘history matters to this Court only when it is convenient,’” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “Following the January 6, 2021 insurrection, the United States was added to a list of global backsliding democracies and has remained on the list every year since, with 13 US presidential libraries—from Hoover to Obama—last year warning of the fragile state of American democracy. Today’s decision threatens to accelerate that dangerous backsliding. We are deeply concerned for the future of our democracy and we will continue to use the tools our Constitution provides to defend freedom, democracy, and the wellbeing of communities across the country.
“No one in the United States is above the law,” Perryman added. “The Court’s majority has once again delayed justice and signaled to the public and to our allies abroad that our nation’s democracy is under attack from within. We urge the District Court to act swiftly as directed by the Court and allow for a fair criminal trial.” - Democracy Forward
“When the Chief Justice wrote, “The President is not above the law. But…,” he put into question our nation’s future as a democracy.
“For decades, Republicans have worked toward building a judiciary and a Supreme Court that will amass them more power and act contrary to the will and values of the American people. As a result, our children’s rights are being taken away from them, and their opportunities to thrive are dwindling.
“This ruling would not have been possible without the three justices Donald Trump appointed to the bench. And indeed, as Justice Sotomayor explains in dissent, the majority’s opinion, ‘makes a mockery of the principle, foundational to our Constitution and system of Government, that no man is above the law.’ Judges should be loyal to our nation’s laws–not the party that put them on the bench.” - Demand Justice Managing Director Maggie Jo Buchanan
Minutes ago, Donald Trump’s hand-picked Supreme Court supermajority released an unprecedented ruling in Trump v. U.S. and declared that the former president is immune from prosecution for any “official” criminal acts committed while in office.
“When Trump and McConnell packed the court, this was the moment they anticipated. Now, their hand-picked supermajority has returned the ultimate favor,” said Sarah Lipton-Lubet, president of Take Back the Court Action Fund. “I never want to hear someone say again that this court is interpreting law and history. After years of grabbing more and more power for itself, the Roberts Court just declared an end to American democracy as we know it. Congress needs to act immediately to rein in these rogue Republican operatives who have hijacked our judiciary for their party’s own benefit. The very future of this republic depends on it.” - Take Back the Court Action Fund
“Today, the Supreme Court fundamentally changed presidential power. After it arrogated power to itself last week in the Chevron case, it has now arrogated more power than the founders ever envisioned to a president.
“While President Trump is not immune for his personal acts, by granting him immunity for ‘official acts,’ the court makes a mockery of the rule of law and casts aside the danger of concentrating power in one person’s hands.
“For the first time, a president can engage in otherwise illegal acts without any accountability, and for the first time, a president is now above the law.
“The founders spoke repeatedly of the need to protect the country against demagogues and crafted a constitution to defend against them. Today, the Supreme Court tried to vitiate their intent and allowed the former president’s thirst for power to trump the Constitution.
“By delaying the decision, the justices would rather kick the can down the road than allow the American people to hear a trial about whether someone who incited an insurrection to overturn a free and fair election in 2020 should be reelected in 2024. Today’s ruling tears at the fabric of our democracy, and the damage won’t be easily, or ever, repaired. And it makes the stakes of this election clear.” - American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten
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United for Democracy is a diverse and growing coalition of 140 grassroots organizations, labor unions, and advocates for reproductive rights, gun violence prevention, the environment, workers’ rights and more, all representing tens of millions of Americans. The nationwide campaign launched to educate Americans about the impact today’s Supreme Court is having on their lives, freedoms, and democracy — and call on Congress to rein in its unchecked powers.