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So you can do anything you want as president without criminal accountability? What's the difference between official and unofficial act? If Biden declares Trump an enemy of the state and has seal team 6 execute him, that's fine?
For clarity, I'll cite Sotomayor's dissent, as an attorney I highly encourage everyone to read this passage:
>Looking beyond the fate of this particular prosecution, the long-term consequences of today’s decision are stark. The Court effectively creates a law-free zone around the President, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the Founding. This new official-acts immunity now “lies about like a loaded weapon” for any President that wishes to place his own interests, his own political survival, or his own financial gain, above the interests of the Nation. The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly the world. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.
>Let the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority’s message today.
>Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.
>Never in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate the criminal law. Moving forward, however, all former Presidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop.
>With fear for our democracy, I dissent.
This is a turning point in history folks.
We are actually in the last act of America. I mean unless we somehow get it together enough for amendments or a constitutional convention is there even any coming back from this? I think not
This ruling is the kind of ruling where the country can’t afford a conservative to hold office at all. Not only does Donald Trump have to lose this election, Democrats have to somehow gain a supermajority in the Senate, regain control of the House, *and* come together long enough for Biden to sign some kind of legislation to supersede this.
Whether it’s Donald Trump or a future conservative, none of them are going to leave office if they get in there. The court is priming the US to become some kind of fucked up monarchy.
I don’t think there is any coming back from this though. Enough Democrats are like Manchin and Sinema that they won’t coalesce around stopping presidential immunity while in office. This country is barreling towards a dark future while hastening its collapse. All because a bunch of white people need to feel superior to somebody that’s not like them.
And that will haunt the US for the rest of its existence, however long that’ll be. “If white Americans were just a bit less racist, Donald Trump doesn’t get elected and conservatives don’t get to install three justices to the court, reversing centuries of progress and priming the position of president to be abused for personal gain indefinitely.”
If it's an official act then the Dems just need to stop being massive centrist pussies and evict the entirety of the supreme Court in favour of a new group.
Officially, of course.
"This ruling is the kind of ruling where the country can’t afford a conservative to hold office at all. Not only does Donald Trump have to lose this election, Democrats have to somehow gain a supermajority in the Senate, regain control of the House, *and* come together long enough for Biden to sign some kind of legislation to supersede this."
I mean Biden could exercised his presidential immunity to remove 6 justices from the supreme court as well as removing enough republicans from the senate to pass the legislation needed.
Elsewhere I wrote a whole thing, but it's time for extreme measures.
Biden's job is to defend the Constitution, and now is the time, more than ever.
Since he has presumptive immunity he should nominate more Supreme Court justices and then write a series of executive orders forcing Congress to immediately fulfill their constitutional duty of providing advice and consent, and arrest anyone who refuses to do so.
Then sign more executive orders for Congress to amend the Constitution to fix the most extreme political issues of the day, like eliminating expensive gifts to the Supreme Court Justices, stopping regulatory capture, stopping dark money from flooding elections.
Then at the end, order Congress to amend the Constitution so that there's a clear avenue to deal with criminal liability for presidential abuse of power during and after the fact, and to make it unconstitutional for presidents to do anything like he just did.
He's immune from legal consequences, so make it an immediate issue.
>In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.
This line said it all for me. SCOTUS just in essence made the president a king in terms of accountability.
Pretty sure the 3 dissenters were sitting there astounded and thinking
>It's a bold strategy, let's see if it pays off for 'em.
They should. MAGA wants to dismantle our government and unilaterally install a new form of government which directly contradicts the US Constitution. These are enemies of the state, and now is when the US should act accordingly. We know who all the main players are, so just arrest them all at the exact same time wherever they may be, and keep them in isolation until their trials. I don't give af about optics. Our country is under attack and these fuckers are enemies of the state. Thanks to SCOTUS, presidential immunity would apply because this would be an official act in accordance with the office of the President and his or her duties to protect the United States from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.
They would deem the act "unofficial" because Biden did it. From Jackson's dissent, we know the court did not lay out a clear standard for what is official and what is unofficial.
What if he declares the Supreme Court an enemy of the state and has them assassinated? Then who’s gonna declare it an unofficial act?
(*This is a rhetorical question sparked by the supreme courts decision today and I am in no way suggesting the hypothetical situation should come to light. I think all assassinations are bad and presidents should be held accountable to the same standards as anyone else in this county. Please do not raid my home for posting this , government.*)
Not the court, they aren't allowed to based on there opinion. Biden has 5 months to pull the country from the mouth of a fascist dictatorship, if trump wins the election the political assassinations will began. I don't see how the supreme court did not just king biden by not post poning this decision until trump is president again.
and I knew that my Beautiful Supreme Court Justices, Gorsuch, Neil Gorsuch, Justice ABC, and Justice Bruce Kavanaugh, great guy, Bruce, and the Wonderful Leader Of The Court, John Roberts, who likes me a lot by the way, and Justice Sam Alito, Sam, I hear his wife is very nice, and one of my All Time Favorites, Judge and Justice Clarence Thomas, who, I have to say is probably one of the Great Legal Minds, they say he's 100% for Trump, and so is the wife from what I hear, you have not one, but two, Nice Supreme Court Wives, can you believe that, and they all said, "President Trump has Absolute Immunity," absolute, I said that's a really hot and also beautiful word, absolute, and in terms of Immunity they say I can never be Prosecuted, or Persecuted as I like to call it, the Radical Left has been persecuting me, I said you can't do that to the 45th, 46th, and probably 47th and Final President Of The United States, because I've been treated very unfairly, I said we look at Voting, very strongly we look at Voting, we fix Voting, you only have to vote one more time ok, after that you can drop dead, just make sure you vote Trump November 7th, you vote Trump and you get No Regulations, No Taxes, you vote Biden you get Death and Crime, remember that
Not really "standards". More like if the president does an egregious act but gets a judge like Aileen Qannon, who doesn't see a problem with it, the president is okay....safe at first.
But if the president spins the wheel and gets a morally-sound judge, well, he's likely to be tried in court...eventually, someday, maybe...
They made the standards and literally set a trap for themselves, which the Democrats will immediately step around because they’re completely spineless as a party.
If they had any balls, Biden would use this opportunity to have them locked in their chamber, claiming immunity because it’s an official act and keep them there until they came up with a sensible ruling.
But we’ll just let treason slide, just this once, if they promise to never do it again. Absolute cowards.
Yeah I do wish dems would pull things together for the sake of protecting our country. Tired of dems needing 100 page essay on anything they want to do but Republicans being able to shit on paper and it's gold to their supporters.
I am confused. Does this mean Biden can ask seal team 6 to round up 6 members of the supreme court, drop them in Guantanamo, and then fill the vacancies?
Biden needs to play hardball now. Not necessarily the seal team 6 thing, but he can absolutely damage the trunp campaign. Have him officially removed from the ballot as an insurrectionist, then pack the court and let someone bring a suit, then fast track it through. This needs to be used to get rid of trunp and maga asap. Don’t worry if it makes you look like a “dictator”… trunp CANNOT be allowed near the White House again with this type of power.
executive orders now can override legislation. fuck it, while we're on a wish list:
1. medicare for all
2. unilateral forgiveness of student loan debt
3. investigation, prosecution, and suspension of profits for all comapnies found guilty of profiteering
4. military prisons for all insurrectionists, that includes all financial backers (looking at you, ginny thomas) and congressional supporters
5. installation of neutral committees to redraw districts to prevent gerrymandering
6. adding 4 more supreme court judges
7. nationalization of reproductive care and prenatal care
8. public daycares and childcare
9. one year mandatory parental leave for both parents
10. minimum 3 week mandatory paid leave for ALL workers
11. voting day becomes a paid holiday
12. mandate pre-voting for all eligible voters
what else?
The Furher has nothing to worry about.
Seal Team 6 ain't shit compared to his personal Gravy Seals.
https://preview.redd.it/zweh88pyix9d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef483ce821f90649c80263016eecfd5d0fc7311c
Oh, so that’s it then? The election is over because Biden considers Trump to be a threat to national security and declares his own groups of electors to be the valid ones in an official act as President?
Thats nice. I was thinking we needed to wait until November for the results. The suspense was stressful.
As long as it's in the president's official capacity. Don't know who decides that. The president, I guess.
So, extorting votes is legal if the president does it in their official capacity.
Welcome to the upside-down and the fascist states of America.
You said governs so misunderstood that who would lead SCOTUS, you have the FBI arrest them, tell the DOJ it is official business before you pass down the orders. President can just make shit up and label it as official business .
Can’t he just executive-order SCOTUS away?
Like scribble one a piece of paper that they are all fired now or something, put the presidential seal next to it and it’s cool cause he did it in an official manner?
If I understand this correctly - as long as it’s officially done - he can do like whatever he wants. Invade Mexico, sell the Rockies to Canada, kill his political opponents... Just wear your official-pants and it’s fine.
Fought a war of independence from the rule of an out-of-touch and far-away king only to get a new out-of-touch and mentally/morally far-away king a few hundred years later.
History is crazy sometimes
Luckily the founding fathers set up a our government with an elaborate system of checks and balances, overseen by a group of wise, old, untouchable appointed wizards in robes.
Executive and the Legislative branches should be holding scotus accountable. Supposed to be checks and balances but they are all on the take together so here we are.
My thought is now that we know Presidents have immunity for official acts it should be covered under that power for Biden to send Trump to Guantanamo Bay for Treasonous acts. Before this Extreme Court decision in total favor of Donald the Con Trump. President Biden stayed completely away from the charges that the Attorney General of the US has brought against Trump. This would be a great time for President Biden to exercise his newly found immunity and order Trump to prison. No more court dates, delays or Jury's. Now Biden as POTUS can save the US from traitors such as King Con Don.
Maybe not fully as we will now have to wait on the lower courts but it still destroys the case of the documents in the end. Donald’s team would have to defend every single charge in the Florida case as being an official act.
Then add on what the lower court devices what is official. In the end we are just fucked.
>but it still destroys the case of the documents in the end.
The documents case is far less effected by this than the federal election case.
Most of the criminal activity occurred after leaving office.
Seal Team Six says that an official act is whatever Biden says an official act is.
They’ll pop by for an official visit if you have any more questions about the matter.
Here is the rub. It has to be an official act. How is that defined? Anything a President does is an official act while in office? Doubtful. But he is the kicker…
A district court judge, as finder of fact, must make a ruling if an act is official or not. However, that finding is appealable, and guess who is the ultimate decision maker of that finding. The Supreme Court.
This is not great because if you have a corrupt President and a corrupt supreme court you now have a strangle hold on the country. A President could assassinate a political rival because they are “colluding” with the enemy and therefore are a “traitor” so Meal Team Six had to execute that rival.
The bought Alito, Thomas and crew would rule that presidential move was intrinsically sweet and was an official act to keep the US safe.
That is why this is fucked up. That is why if Trump wins we are fucked. Thomas and Alito are in their 70’s. They will retire and Trump will solidify the Supreme Court as a conservative shitshow for the next 30 years with their replacements.
Just one of eight dozen reasons Trump cannot win. But this reason is a mother fucker and cannot happen.
EDIT: Now that I know more about the ruling this is bunk dump trucks. Fuck the Sup Crt.
How about directly calling governors and asking them to fudge the vote count so he wins? Is that an "official act"? Asking for a terminally ill democracy
If the President says it's an official act, it's an official act. As long as that president is a Republican. Trump inciting an insurrection while he was president is now legal. Trump calling the Secretary of State of Georgia and asking for extra votes to be found is legal. This ruling was made for one person, and one person only.
Emperor Trump.
Exactly.
President (King) Biden needs to use the ruling to lock the asshole up, or other things. Take out the threat to democracy.
It’s what they will do to him.
This is fucking unbelievable. I’m buying a gun.
Good, do it. We need more liberals with guns because there will be a time in the next few years (I’m pretty sure Trump will win) where we’ll all hit a point where it is just too much to take anymore, and there will be civil unrest.
The conservatives have already promised civil unrest after the next election, either way. I'm buying a decoy trump sign to put out front to make em think I'm one of them. I can't pretend to believe I would be a better shot, more well armed, or outnumber all the Cletuses in my area. But I can drawl my speech and pretend while they wander off. My pistol vs a lynch mob won't hold but their ability for critical thinking won't either. At least till I can move my family somewhere safe from tyranny.
Is it ironic to move to Britain since their king has no real power? /S
Anyone taking in American refugees soon? I have a skilled trade.
Neither he nor democrats will do anything about this, they will still try to take the “high ground” and not do anything that goes against the rules and they will be run over by the republicans who have no such reservations.
Pretty sure defending the constitution from all enemies foreign *and domestic* is an official act of the President.
There is no bigger threat to democracy and civilization itself as Trump and the MAGA fascists.
there's an argument to be made about how basically every living president is complicit in war crimes but that should be an argument about why presidential immunity is *bad*
This Extreme Court has delayed this obvious decision so long that Dementia Donald has avoided any sense of accountability for his actions. These justices are aiding and abetting a convicted felon and rapist in his attempts to subvert our democracy.
Sad days for democracy, and America.
A court with three members he appointed, after committing fraud to win the electoral vote and losing the popular vote, just voted that a president is above the law if he can plausibly claim it was “official.” They make this change in a case where, taken at face value, trump deliberately told lies in places he knew it would spread to people he knew were violent then summoned them to the Capitol to delay the voting of the electoral counts so to have some faux legal precedent to throw out the valid electoral votes and count fake ones be provided.
He did a coup.
And if he can say any of it was plausibly official, he gets immunity.
This country was founded on a revolutionary idea. That the people elect their leaders, and that no one was above the law. Today we have just said that this country has a king.
> A court with three members he appointed, after committing fraud to win the electoral vote and losing the popular vote,
This is the part that really grinds my gears. He was just convicted of fraud in furtherance of winning the election, which he then won. He then appointed 3 SCOTUS justices for lifetime appointments. Are we really going to pretend like we should just shrug our shoulders over the fact that those 3 justices were appointed by someone who committed felonies to win his position? No conversation about consequences of that conviction is complete without addressing whether those appointments are valid or not.
So all Biden needs to do is sign an executive order to have a few Supreme Court justices retired early.
EDIT: obviously I’m just pointing out the absurdity of this ruling. Trump could now get in office and order the military deployed along our southern border border with orders to shoot and kill anyone attempting an illegal crossing. He’d kill many thousands of people, but because it’s official he could not be prosecuted. He could sign an executive order making himself President for life and unless democrats have control of Congress, he would never be impeached.
He probably could have Trump black bagged by the end of day over the fact the docs Trump deliberately stole held nuclear and state secrets, especially when he was given numerous outs to avoid any issues.
It would be absolutely official under the Atomic Powers Act of 1953. Biden would be fully within his rights now to do so.
And for the MAGAts who will sit there and cry about the docs Biden had? He and his people "oh shit! We gotta get these back" and informed and returned them to the national archive once it was brought up. As did Obama and Pence.
Trump deliberately held them and lied about having them until they sent a raid to retrieve them. If he has just returned them, even on the fourth ask, it would have been a non-issue for him. Once again, his legal problems are complete self owns.
The difference is Trump was given his out and he didn't take it. That's why there's even a pending case.
> He probably could have Trump black bagged by the end of day over the fact the docs Trump deliberately stole held nuclear and state secrets,
Tbh king brandon should
The world is a terrifying place right now. Far right parties gaining support and momentum across Europe. American democracy increasingly looks to be falling apart. China growing in power, War in Europe. And in the background we have the dark cloud of Climate Change looming on the horizon while we stupid dipshit monkeys fight amongst ourselves and argue about culture war bullshit. We are absolutely doomed.
What a fucking joke. This basically makes the president a King instead of a Citizen if he can't be held to his own laws. But what would you expect from Roberts court of corruption, making bribery legal, deeming J6 rioters weren't obstructing an official vote, and handing more and more power to their corporate donors.
It's honestly knocked the wind out of me completely. I was expecting them to at least delay a bit, not straight up make trump a king. Full on Rules for thee but not for me now if he retakes office. Sorry to sound defeatist, just. Full on kick in the balls here. Fuck John Roberts and his corrupt court.
Biden isn't a corrupt pile of shit like Donald Trump. For the sake of Democracy, he isn't going to abuse this ruling. We go high when they go low, remember? And boy are they foaming at the mouth to go low.
Very convenient for SCOTUS to have someone like Joe in office when they made this decision. He could now arrest them for a few accepting bribes to sway decision just saying.Sounds like official business to me.
So what’s official and unofficial is left for courts to decide. Guess what - it will go all the way to scotus which will rule everything was official. Death of democracy in Murica - that’s OFFICIAL now
Ok but read the ruling. Any internal asks of the executive branch are completely immune. Ordering your DOJ to arrest opponents, ordering the pentagon to assassinate someone, etc.
And because a president has pardon powers, that means the entire executive branch is above the law
So.. it doesn't seem there's functionally any laws for politicians now? Executive branch is now ungoverned, the judicial is declaring their criminal acts legal, it's all coming undone quickly.
Current ages:
Roberts: 69
Thomas: 76
Alito: 74
Sotomayor: 70
Kagan: 64
Gorsuch: 56
Kavanaugh: 59
Barrett: 52
Jackson: 54
The next President may get one vacancy, possibly two, and those are likely to be conservative seats. But if Biden wins, Thomas and Alito will probably not resign.
EDIT: If Trump wins, Thomas and Alito both resigning and being replaced with Judges around Barrett's age, then the conservatives will have a 6-3 majority until Roberts leaves, and at least a 5-4 majority for around 15 years (when Kavanaugh will be 74).
> The next President may get one vacancy, possibly two, and those are likely to be conservative seats. But if Biden wins, Thomas and Alito will probably not resign.
>
>
If trump wins, you can bet money on Thomas, Alito and Roberts all retiring within the next four years, and being replaced by the most right wing nuts you can imagine packing the court with.
I had a discussion with an early-20s voter in ‘16 who was all in on Jill Stein. She believed the 2 party system was broken and when confronted with all the risks of losing SCOTUS that we saw come to fruition the last few years, her thought was “maybe this will wake people up”. Now we’re f*cked for a lifetime.
Honestly, the government will spiral at that point. Elected officials will start getting car bombed and the US will slowly descend into a failed state. But hey at least we will be a Christian Nation rules by biblical principles.
We are fucked harder if Biden loses and the Dems lose the Senate, that combo gives Emperor Cheeto the chance for more SCOTUS appointments. If both stay as they are, Joe better grit his teeth and expand the Court, only then can there be badly needed reforms to it and keep the country from plunging into wherever it is we're headed.
Why wait do it right now? Why not remove The Handmiaden and Boofy Brett for lying about Roe v Wade being settled law? Remove Alito and Thomas for being involved in J6 and being corrupt. Nullify all their rulings from this session via executive orders.
Just as a hypothetical because I really have no idea, couldn’t the next president expand the courts again? Maybe that’s how this all ends. The court keeps doubling in size and within a few election cycles we’re all members of scotus and then literally everything is decided by popular vote and we’ve become a true democracy.
Sotomayor Dissenting:
>Looking beyond the fate of this particular prosecution, the long-term consequences of today’s decision are stark. The Court effectively creates a law-free zone around thePresident, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the Founding. This new official-acts immunity now “lies about like a loaded weapon” for any President that wishesto place his own interests, his own political survival, or his own financial gain, above the interests of the Nation. Korematsu v. United States, 323 U. S. 214, 246 (1944) (Jackson, J., dissenting).
>The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly theworld. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.
>Let the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be asbold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority’s message today.
>Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and Ipray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, thePresident is now a king above the law.
>The majority’s single-minded fixation on the President’s need for boldness and dispatch ignores the countervailing need for accountability and restraint. The Framers were not so single-minded. In the Federalist Papers, after “endeavor[ing] to show” that the Executive designed by the Constitution “combines . . . all the requisites to energy,” Alexander Hamilton asked a separate, equally important question: “Does it also combine the requisites to safety, in a republican sense, a due dependence on the people, a due responsibility?” The Federalist No. 77, p. 507 (J. Harvard Library ed. 2009). The answer then was yes, based in part upon the President’s vulnerability to “prosecution in thecommon course of law.” Ibid. The answer after today is no.
>Never in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violatethe criminal law. Moving forward, however, all formerPresidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop.
>With fear for our democracy, I dissent.
It seems like i post every day that america has lost into mind, and from the outside looking in its horrific to watch. But What makes it all the more crazy, is that america is tearing itself apart for the benefit of Donald Trump of all people. It just beggars belief.
I predict the distinction between "official" and "unofficial" acts will be highly dependent on which party holds the presidency.
This ruling binds Biden but does not protect him, while protecting Trump but not binding him.
Official act: whatever a Republican president, current or former, does and which they claimed as official when it happened, after the fact, or even just decided it was official and never said so aloud.
Unofficial act: anything a Democrat does that the R squad doesn’t like.
Foreign and domestic is thrown around so much by that damn party and their supporters, and now when it well and truly applies, they ignore it. Because it’s them. They are the domestic threat.
In the time of our founding fathers they would have been put to death well before now for their shameless grabs for power.
How anyone can know our history as a country and what we’ve had to go through only to then support this is so unbelievable and insulting to the US’s soul.
Is campaigning an official act? Because everything he did was in service of his campaign for reelection. This should only empower Biden to do some wild shit with his executive power while he still has it, and let the lawsuits bounce off his immunity like spitballs. Scrub student loans, and medical debt, then institute single payer healthcare. Get cracking Joe.
Here's the thing though, they haven't defined what's considered an official or unofficial act yet. And nowhere does it say they need to. Replace them, and let the new court decide that what you did was fine.
Well everyone has to suck it up and vote for Joe Biden. Cause you know once Trump gets in again he will never leave. He'll hand it down to his kids if we let him.
I'm disappointed certainly, but I honestly always knew the voters would have to protect themselves. You cannot allow Republicans to win over and over in state and local elections and then expect to walk away a free man.
The election is more than Biden and Trump.
It is about the SCOTUS. And it is about corrupting other agencies and ruling bodies if they put in puppets and religious nutjobs/zealots in lifetime positions.
Have we forgotten the Stephen Millers and Betsy Devos and other clowns.
So, does that mean there is no such thing as abuse of power or obstruction of justice if the President calls in favors or intercedes in what is supposed to be an independent justice department?
Also, bad news for Jeffrey Clarke. Trump having immunity means you alone will go to jail for the DOJ stuff. Immunity doesn't mean a crime was not committed.
If it is determined that Trump is a threat to our democracy, our constitution and our national security, doesn’t this in fact green-light Biden to declare a state of emergency to deal with this threat? Trump and MAGA are the “enemy within” - domestic enemies of our constitution and republic. GO GET ‘EM BIDEN!
The Dems suck, let's try this trump guy. I mean what could possibly go wrong?
You're not only on the way to the dark ages, you are actually on the way to becoming a major threat to the world.
A president colluding with Russia and threatening to get out of NATO. That's gonna be fun.
And here again, we have a historical moment. Democrats will act in good faith and do nothing, and then when Republicans get in power again they will do whatever the fuck they want. This is so fucking infuriating. We all joke about what Biden could do, knowing full well he won't do a fucking thing, and then we are fucked.
TBH as a woman, things like this are why I just got my tubes removed for permanent sterilization. People say that in my state abortion will always be safe, but that is straight up denial and refusing to think a few steps ahead.
The Democratic Party should take this ruling and run with it.
Trump is an enemy of the state.
The GOP is a terrorist organization.
Make bold claims and then force our new judicial overlords to refute them.
But the Dems have no spine or stomach for such things.
Fuck this country to its core.
Ok, someone smarter than me, please chime in. Wouldn’t this mean that President Biden could basically just do the same exact things former President Trump did and escape prosecution?
I understand that this is just SCOTUS kicking the can down the road, but doesn’t this just open the door for more potential misconduct by those who don’t intend to protect and defend the country?
In short, yes. By not defining what constitutes that gray area of presumptive immunity, SCOTUS has - for all intents and purposes - made itself the sole arbiter (outside of impeachment) of “official act” on a case by case basis. Anything can be argued as “official” and therefore appealed up the chain to SCOTUS.
Theoretically this was always the case as Presidential immunity isn’t a new concept, but there were historical norms that Presidents respected. Trump blew that up, and by issuing the decision in this way SCOTUS is effectively saying it’s an open question whether planning a coup is an “official act,” which is patently insane.
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So you can do anything you want as president without criminal accountability? What's the difference between official and unofficial act? If Biden declares Trump an enemy of the state and has seal team 6 execute him, that's fine?
Yes, they explicitly say that any internal ask of any executive branch function is immune. So he could do that
For clarity, I'll cite Sotomayor's dissent, as an attorney I highly encourage everyone to read this passage: >Looking beyond the fate of this particular prosecution, the long-term consequences of today’s decision are stark. The Court effectively creates a law-free zone around the President, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the Founding. This new official-acts immunity now “lies about like a loaded weapon” for any President that wishes to place his own interests, his own political survival, or his own financial gain, above the interests of the Nation. The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly the world. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune. >Let the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority’s message today. >Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law. >Never in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate the criminal law. Moving forward, however, all former Presidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop. >With fear for our democracy, I dissent. This is a turning point in history folks.
We are actually in the last act of America. I mean unless we somehow get it together enough for amendments or a constitutional convention is there even any coming back from this? I think not
Donald Trump has to lose this election.
This ruling is the kind of ruling where the country can’t afford a conservative to hold office at all. Not only does Donald Trump have to lose this election, Democrats have to somehow gain a supermajority in the Senate, regain control of the House, *and* come together long enough for Biden to sign some kind of legislation to supersede this. Whether it’s Donald Trump or a future conservative, none of them are going to leave office if they get in there. The court is priming the US to become some kind of fucked up monarchy. I don’t think there is any coming back from this though. Enough Democrats are like Manchin and Sinema that they won’t coalesce around stopping presidential immunity while in office. This country is barreling towards a dark future while hastening its collapse. All because a bunch of white people need to feel superior to somebody that’s not like them. And that will haunt the US for the rest of its existence, however long that’ll be. “If white Americans were just a bit less racist, Donald Trump doesn’t get elected and conservatives don’t get to install three justices to the court, reversing centuries of progress and priming the position of president to be abused for personal gain indefinitely.”
If it's an official act then the Dems just need to stop being massive centrist pussies and evict the entirety of the supreme Court in favour of a new group. Officially, of course.
"This ruling is the kind of ruling where the country can’t afford a conservative to hold office at all. Not only does Donald Trump have to lose this election, Democrats have to somehow gain a supermajority in the Senate, regain control of the House, *and* come together long enough for Biden to sign some kind of legislation to supersede this." I mean Biden could exercised his presidential immunity to remove 6 justices from the supreme court as well as removing enough republicans from the senate to pass the legislation needed.
This is it. July 1, 2024 democracy officially ended in America
Thank goodness Russia is spending all their money in Ukraine so they won't be able to afford election meddling quite as much as they would like.
Elsewhere I wrote a whole thing, but it's time for extreme measures. Biden's job is to defend the Constitution, and now is the time, more than ever. Since he has presumptive immunity he should nominate more Supreme Court justices and then write a series of executive orders forcing Congress to immediately fulfill their constitutional duty of providing advice and consent, and arrest anyone who refuses to do so. Then sign more executive orders for Congress to amend the Constitution to fix the most extreme political issues of the day, like eliminating expensive gifts to the Supreme Court Justices, stopping regulatory capture, stopping dark money from flooding elections. Then at the end, order Congress to amend the Constitution so that there's a clear avenue to deal with criminal liability for presidential abuse of power during and after the fact, and to make it unconstitutional for presidents to do anything like he just did. He's immune from legal consequences, so make it an immediate issue.
It’s just one of many turning points, going back to when Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon. No republican has faced repercussions since.
>In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law. This line said it all for me. SCOTUS just in essence made the president a king in terms of accountability. Pretty sure the 3 dissenters were sitting there astounded and thinking >It's a bold strategy, let's see if it pays off for 'em.
Oh he needs to, then declare the court itself an enemy of the state, and finish this nonsense.
Yes. But democrats would never do that
They should. MAGA wants to dismantle our government and unilaterally install a new form of government which directly contradicts the US Constitution. These are enemies of the state, and now is when the US should act accordingly. We know who all the main players are, so just arrest them all at the exact same time wherever they may be, and keep them in isolation until their trials. I don't give af about optics. Our country is under attack and these fuckers are enemies of the state. Thanks to SCOTUS, presidential immunity would apply because this would be an official act in accordance with the office of the President and his or her duties to protect the United States from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.
Agree time to go gloves off.
No because he's a Democrat and standards are only for Democrats, Republicans get to do whatever they like regardless of the damage to society
But that's my point, they just made the standards.
They would deem the act "unofficial" because Biden did it. From Jackson's dissent, we know the court did not lay out a clear standard for what is official and what is unofficial.
What if he declares the Supreme Court an enemy of the state and has them assassinated? Then who’s gonna declare it an unofficial act? (*This is a rhetorical question sparked by the supreme courts decision today and I am in no way suggesting the hypothetical situation should come to light. I think all assassinations are bad and presidents should be held accountable to the same standards as anyone else in this county. Please do not raid my home for posting this , government.*)
Not the court, they aren't allowed to based on there opinion. Biden has 5 months to pull the country from the mouth of a fascist dictatorship, if trump wins the election the political assassinations will began. I don't see how the supreme court did not just king biden by not post poning this decision until trump is president again.
They wanted this country to become like Putins Russia, and they will get us there, but by bit.
I think this loophole may be our only chance to rectify all of orange turds bad decisions.
and I knew that my Beautiful Supreme Court Justices, Gorsuch, Neil Gorsuch, Justice ABC, and Justice Bruce Kavanaugh, great guy, Bruce, and the Wonderful Leader Of The Court, John Roberts, who likes me a lot by the way, and Justice Sam Alito, Sam, I hear his wife is very nice, and one of my All Time Favorites, Judge and Justice Clarence Thomas, who, I have to say is probably one of the Great Legal Minds, they say he's 100% for Trump, and so is the wife from what I hear, you have not one, but two, Nice Supreme Court Wives, can you believe that, and they all said, "President Trump has Absolute Immunity," absolute, I said that's a really hot and also beautiful word, absolute, and in terms of Immunity they say I can never be Prosecuted, or Persecuted as I like to call it, the Radical Left has been persecuting me, I said you can't do that to the 45th, 46th, and probably 47th and Final President Of The United States, because I've been treated very unfairly, I said we look at Voting, very strongly we look at Voting, we fix Voting, you only have to vote one more time ok, after that you can drop dead, just make sure you vote Trump November 7th, you vote Trump and you get No Regulations, No Taxes, you vote Biden you get Death and Crime, remember that
Not really "standards". More like if the president does an egregious act but gets a judge like Aileen Qannon, who doesn't see a problem with it, the president is okay....safe at first. But if the president spins the wheel and gets a morally-sound judge, well, he's likely to be tried in court...eventually, someday, maybe...
Silly Billy, the rules are only for people who don’t sleep suckling a pair of genuine cast silicone orange testicles signed by Donnie himself.
They made the standards and literally set a trap for themselves, which the Democrats will immediately step around because they’re completely spineless as a party. If they had any balls, Biden would use this opportunity to have them locked in their chamber, claiming immunity because it’s an official act and keep them there until they came up with a sensible ruling. But we’ll just let treason slide, just this once, if they promise to never do it again. Absolute cowards.
No, you're missing the point. Conservatives only have double standards.
Republicans have no morales, democrats have no spine. It's as simple as that.
I hate when you right, why do we have to play 100% good guy all the time, how about 90%.😓
Yeah I do wish dems would pull things together for the sake of protecting our country. Tired of dems needing 100 page essay on anything they want to do but Republicans being able to shit on paper and it's gold to their supporters.
I am confused. Does this mean Biden can ask seal team 6 to round up 6 members of the supreme court, drop them in Guantanamo, and then fill the vacancies?
Biden needs to play hardball now. Not necessarily the seal team 6 thing, but he can absolutely damage the trunp campaign. Have him officially removed from the ballot as an insurrectionist, then pack the court and let someone bring a suit, then fast track it through. This needs to be used to get rid of trunp and maga asap. Don’t worry if it makes you look like a “dictator”… trunp CANNOT be allowed near the White House again with this type of power.
Exactly. Fuck optics. That ship has sailed.
executive orders now can override legislation. fuck it, while we're on a wish list: 1. medicare for all 2. unilateral forgiveness of student loan debt 3. investigation, prosecution, and suspension of profits for all comapnies found guilty of profiteering 4. military prisons for all insurrectionists, that includes all financial backers (looking at you, ginny thomas) and congressional supporters 5. installation of neutral committees to redraw districts to prevent gerrymandering 6. adding 4 more supreme court judges 7. nationalization of reproductive care and prenatal care 8. public daycares and childcare 9. one year mandatory parental leave for both parents 10. minimum 3 week mandatory paid leave for ALL workers 11. voting day becomes a paid holiday 12. mandate pre-voting for all eligible voters what else?
Reinstate the fairness doctrine and refuse to allow media outlets knowingly spreading false information to be carried on US airwaves.
Repeal citizens united
He won't, though.
The Furher has nothing to worry about. Seal Team 6 ain't shit compared to his personal Gravy Seals. https://preview.redd.it/zweh88pyix9d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef483ce821f90649c80263016eecfd5d0fc7311c
official acts are those done by republicans and unofficial ones are those done by democrats
Why stop at Trump? The supreme court is obviously an enemy at this point as well.
Sounds like he could do exactly that.
Oh, so that’s it then? The election is over because Biden considers Trump to be a threat to national security and declares his own groups of electors to be the valid ones in an official act as President? Thats nice. I was thinking we needed to wait until November for the results. The suspense was stressful.
Nah, if Biden loses we just storm the capital and trump goes bye bye. Sorry Scotus said it was OK
Have them arrested for accepting bribes. There is solid proof on two of them at least.
Too bad SCOTUS ruled that essentially bribes for official acts are legal as long as they’re paid after. Always one step ahead of us that wily SCOTUS
Who cares President can!do whatever they want to do now.
As long as it's in the president's official capacity. Don't know who decides that. The president, I guess. So, extorting votes is legal if the president does it in their official capacity. Welcome to the upside-down and the fascist states of America.
Giving orders to the military is an official act of the President. I wonder if that means that the justices could be held at Gitmo.
SEAL team them too.
Love this
SCOTUS ruled that those are not bribes. Yes they ruled that they themselves were not bribed. No conflict if interest there whatsoever.
While true, who governs scotus? They are now literally the most powerful of the 3 branches.
They can make rulings off 5’justices. The court in history has been smaller.
I think you missed my point. Who will arrest scotus? There’s no enforcement. They are the law of the land now.
You said governs so misunderstood that who would lead SCOTUS, you have the FBI arrest them, tell the DOJ it is official business before you pass down the orders. President can just make shit up and label it as official business .
Can’t he just executive-order SCOTUS away? Like scribble one a piece of paper that they are all fired now or something, put the presidential seal next to it and it’s cool cause he did it in an official manner? If I understand this correctly - as long as it’s officially done - he can do like whatever he wants. Invade Mexico, sell the Rockies to Canada, kill his political opponents... Just wear your official-pants and it’s fine.
Sure why the fuck not? We have a King now.
Fought a war of independence from the rule of an out-of-touch and far-away king only to get a new out-of-touch and mentally/morally far-away king a few hundred years later. History is crazy sometimes
Luckily the founding fathers set up a our government with an elaborate system of checks and balances, overseen by a group of wise, old, untouchable appointed wizards in robes.
DOJ can arrest them as enforcement falls under the executive branch.
Executive and the Legislative branches should be holding scotus accountable. Supposed to be checks and balances but they are all on the take together so here we are.
Oh no, those were "gratuities." Perfectly legal.
The supreme court just legalized bribery https://jacobin.com/2024/06/supreme-court-corruption-thomas-kavanaugh
The problem is that they just ruled bribes are legal. Checkmate, Lib! /s
Oh no you see they were given "gratuities" post facto. Totally allowed by the Supreme Court now.
My thought is now that we know Presidents have immunity for official acts it should be covered under that power for Biden to send Trump to Guantanamo Bay for Treasonous acts. Before this Extreme Court decision in total favor of Donald the Con Trump. President Biden stayed completely away from the charges that the Attorney General of the US has brought against Trump. This would be a great time for President Biden to exercise his newly found immunity and order Trump to prison. No more court dates, delays or Jury's. Now Biden as POTUS can save the US from traitors such as King Con Don.
If it is okay for trump the steal the documents, perhaps biden can just steal Washington DC in it's entirety & thereby retain the presidency.
I think they said I can hand you two court side Nicks tickets for political favors, and, as long as I say “not a bribe,” it’s all good.
Maybe not fully as we will now have to wait on the lower courts but it still destroys the case of the documents in the end. Donald’s team would have to defend every single charge in the Florida case as being an official act. Then add on what the lower court devices what is official. In the end we are just fucked.
>but it still destroys the case of the documents in the end. The documents case is far less effected by this than the federal election case. Most of the criminal activity occurred after leaving office.
Depends on if it qualifies as “official act” You know. Like when someone gives you a definition with the word in the definition
Seal Team Six says that an official act is whatever Biden says an official act is. They’ll pop by for an official visit if you have any more questions about the matter.
Here is the rub. It has to be an official act. How is that defined? Anything a President does is an official act while in office? Doubtful. But he is the kicker… A district court judge, as finder of fact, must make a ruling if an act is official or not. However, that finding is appealable, and guess who is the ultimate decision maker of that finding. The Supreme Court. This is not great because if you have a corrupt President and a corrupt supreme court you now have a strangle hold on the country. A President could assassinate a political rival because they are “colluding” with the enemy and therefore are a “traitor” so Meal Team Six had to execute that rival. The bought Alito, Thomas and crew would rule that presidential move was intrinsically sweet and was an official act to keep the US safe. That is why this is fucked up. That is why if Trump wins we are fucked. Thomas and Alito are in their 70’s. They will retire and Trump will solidify the Supreme Court as a conservative shitshow for the next 30 years with their replacements. Just one of eight dozen reasons Trump cannot win. But this reason is a mother fucker and cannot happen. EDIT: Now that I know more about the ruling this is bunk dump trucks. Fuck the Sup Crt.
So is insurrection an official act now?
If he orders the insurrection using the executive branch, yes. Like asking the Pentagon to overthrow the election, that is immune
How about directly calling governors and asking them to fudge the vote count so he wins? Is that an "official act"? Asking for a terminally ill democracy
If the President says it's an official act, it's an official act. As long as that president is a Republican. Trump inciting an insurrection while he was president is now legal. Trump calling the Secretary of State of Georgia and asking for extra votes to be found is legal. This ruling was made for one person, and one person only. Emperor Trump.
Dark Brandon, where are you? It's your time to shine...
Exactly. President (King) Biden needs to use the ruling to lock the asshole up, or other things. Take out the threat to democracy. It’s what they will do to him. This is fucking unbelievable. I’m buying a gun.
Don't just buy a gun. Buy a lockbox or safe for it, watch gun safety vids, and train.
Good, do it. We need more liberals with guns because there will be a time in the next few years (I’m pretty sure Trump will win) where we’ll all hit a point where it is just too much to take anymore, and there will be civil unrest.
The conservatives have already promised civil unrest after the next election, either way. I'm buying a decoy trump sign to put out front to make em think I'm one of them. I can't pretend to believe I would be a better shot, more well armed, or outnumber all the Cletuses in my area. But I can drawl my speech and pretend while they wander off. My pistol vs a lynch mob won't hold but their ability for critical thinking won't either. At least till I can move my family somewhere safe from tyranny. Is it ironic to move to Britain since their king has no real power? /S Anyone taking in American refugees soon? I have a skilled trade.
Neither he nor democrats will do anything about this, they will still try to take the “high ground” and not do anything that goes against the rules and they will be run over by the republicans who have no such reservations.
Pretty sure defending the constitution from all enemies foreign *and domestic* is an official act of the President. There is no bigger threat to democracy and civilization itself as Trump and the MAGA fascists.
Democrats are too chicken shit to defend themselves even when it's them or us, and after today's ruling it's exactly that.
248 years as a country and we have NEVER needed a president to have immunity for anything. This country is a fucking disgrace.
there's an argument to be made about how basically every living president is complicit in war crimes but that should be an argument about why presidential immunity is *bad*
RIP USA 07/04/1776 - 07/01/2024
This Extreme Court has delayed this obvious decision so long that Dementia Donald has avoided any sense of accountability for his actions. These justices are aiding and abetting a convicted felon and rapist in his attempts to subvert our democracy. Sad days for democracy, and America.
A court with three members he appointed, after committing fraud to win the electoral vote and losing the popular vote, just voted that a president is above the law if he can plausibly claim it was “official.” They make this change in a case where, taken at face value, trump deliberately told lies in places he knew it would spread to people he knew were violent then summoned them to the Capitol to delay the voting of the electoral counts so to have some faux legal precedent to throw out the valid electoral votes and count fake ones be provided. He did a coup. And if he can say any of it was plausibly official, he gets immunity. This country was founded on a revolutionary idea. That the people elect their leaders, and that no one was above the law. Today we have just said that this country has a king.
> A court with three members he appointed, after committing fraud to win the electoral vote and losing the popular vote, This is the part that really grinds my gears. He was just convicted of fraud in furtherance of winning the election, which he then won. He then appointed 3 SCOTUS justices for lifetime appointments. Are we really going to pretend like we should just shrug our shoulders over the fact that those 3 justices were appointed by someone who committed felonies to win his position? No conversation about consequences of that conviction is complete without addressing whether those appointments are valid or not.
Multiply convicted FRAUD is immune from prosecution if he gets elected. Gee, I wonder if he’ll do anything fraudulent.
And right before it's birthday no less.
Holy shit. Welp, looks like Biden has some official acts to sign off on.
I’m an attorney. I have to respect the rule of law. But I don’t have to respect the people. Our Supreme Court needs to go!!
Right there with you. They are trashing our already broken system and I'm mad as hell.
So all Biden needs to do is sign an executive order to have a few Supreme Court justices retired early. EDIT: obviously I’m just pointing out the absurdity of this ruling. Trump could now get in office and order the military deployed along our southern border border with orders to shoot and kill anyone attempting an illegal crossing. He’d kill many thousands of people, but because it’s official he could not be prosecuted. He could sign an executive order making himself President for life and unless democrats have control of Congress, he would never be impeached.
Arrested for accepting bribes.
Oh no. They already ruled that their bribes are just tips. Not subject to federal bribery statutes.
Biden can do the funniest thing and officially, illegally fire the supreme court.
He probably could have Trump black bagged by the end of day over the fact the docs Trump deliberately stole held nuclear and state secrets, especially when he was given numerous outs to avoid any issues. It would be absolutely official under the Atomic Powers Act of 1953. Biden would be fully within his rights now to do so. And for the MAGAts who will sit there and cry about the docs Biden had? He and his people "oh shit! We gotta get these back" and informed and returned them to the national archive once it was brought up. As did Obama and Pence. Trump deliberately held them and lied about having them until they sent a raid to retrieve them. If he has just returned them, even on the fourth ask, it would have been a non-issue for him. Once again, his legal problems are complete self owns. The difference is Trump was given his out and he didn't take it. That's why there's even a pending case.
> He probably could have Trump black bagged by the end of day over the fact the docs Trump deliberately stole held nuclear and state secrets, Tbh king brandon should
Nah, he's immune under official acts, so it's all kosher now
The world is a terrifying place right now. Far right parties gaining support and momentum across Europe. American democracy increasingly looks to be falling apart. China growing in power, War in Europe. And in the background we have the dark cloud of Climate Change looming on the horizon while we stupid dipshit monkeys fight amongst ourselves and argue about culture war bullshit. We are absolutely doomed.
Sure glad I chose to not have children I really couldn’t imagine having them in these times
What a fucking joke. This basically makes the president a King instead of a Citizen if he can't be held to his own laws. But what would you expect from Roberts court of corruption, making bribery legal, deeming J6 rioters weren't obstructing an official vote, and handing more and more power to their corporate donors.
Madison rolling over in his grave this morning.
It's honestly knocked the wind out of me completely. I was expecting them to at least delay a bit, not straight up make trump a king. Full on Rules for thee but not for me now if he retakes office. Sorry to sound defeatist, just. Full on kick in the balls here. Fuck John Roberts and his corrupt court.
Actually, for the next 6 months, Biden is your king.
Biden isn't a corrupt pile of shit like Donald Trump. For the sake of Democracy, he isn't going to abuse this ruling. We go high when they go low, remember? And boy are they foaming at the mouth to go low.
Very convenient for SCOTUS to have someone like Joe in office when they made this decision. He could now arrest them for a few accepting bribes to sway decision just saying.Sounds like official business to me.
I have to agree. The only saving grace here would be Biden having Roberts, Alito, Kavanaugh, and Clarence arrested for corruption and bribery.
So what’s official and unofficial is left for courts to decide. Guess what - it will go all the way to scotus which will rule everything was official. Death of democracy in Murica - that’s OFFICIAL now
Ok but read the ruling. Any internal asks of the executive branch are completely immune. Ordering your DOJ to arrest opponents, ordering the pentagon to assassinate someone, etc. And because a president has pardon powers, that means the entire executive branch is above the law
So.. it doesn't seem there's functionally any laws for politicians now? Executive branch is now ungoverned, the judicial is declaring their criminal acts legal, it's all coming undone quickly.
Basically the supreme court used a highly unconstitutional power that was never intended for them to have to dismantle the balance of powers yes
What a fucking joke reality is
“Everything was official”…unless it’s a Democrat as President doing it.
Is leading an insurrection official if it’s done from the White House kitchen? We all know that answer
The SCOTUS just made one thing crystal clear. Voters will decide the fate of American Democracy. Biden must win or we are fucked.
If trump wins he'll get 2 or 3 more supreme court picks, his corrupt court will dominate America for the rest of our lives
Current ages: Roberts: 69 Thomas: 76 Alito: 74 Sotomayor: 70 Kagan: 64 Gorsuch: 56 Kavanaugh: 59 Barrett: 52 Jackson: 54 The next President may get one vacancy, possibly two, and those are likely to be conservative seats. But if Biden wins, Thomas and Alito will probably not resign. EDIT: If Trump wins, Thomas and Alito both resigning and being replaced with Judges around Barrett's age, then the conservatives will have a 6-3 majority until Roberts leaves, and at least a 5-4 majority for around 15 years (when Kavanaugh will be 74).
> The next President may get one vacancy, possibly two, and those are likely to be conservative seats. But if Biden wins, Thomas and Alito will probably not resign. > > If trump wins, you can bet money on Thomas, Alito and Roberts all retiring within the next four years, and being replaced by the most right wing nuts you can imagine packing the court with.
I can’t wait to be dead tbh. Anyone with half a brain knew this was what was at stake in 2016 but people are dumb AF.
"but her emails!" such bullshit
I had a discussion with an early-20s voter in ‘16 who was all in on Jill Stein. She believed the 2 party system was broken and when confronted with all the risks of losing SCOTUS that we saw come to fruition the last few years, her thought was “maybe this will wake people up”. Now we’re f*cked for a lifetime.
Honestly, the government will spiral at that point. Elected officials will start getting car bombed and the US will slowly descend into a failed state. But hey at least we will be a Christian Nation rules by biblical principles.
You think there will be a supreme court he'll kill them all so he has the power.
We are fucked harder if Biden loses and the Dems lose the Senate, that combo gives Emperor Cheeto the chance for more SCOTUS appointments. If both stay as they are, Joe better grit his teeth and expand the Court, only then can there be badly needed reforms to it and keep the country from plunging into wherever it is we're headed.
Why wait do it right now? Why not remove The Handmiaden and Boofy Brett for lying about Roe v Wade being settled law? Remove Alito and Thomas for being involved in J6 and being corrupt. Nullify all their rulings from this session via executive orders.
Just as a hypothetical because I really have no idea, couldn’t the next president expand the courts again? Maybe that’s how this all ends. The court keeps doubling in size and within a few election cycles we’re all members of scotus and then literally everything is decided by popular vote and we’ve become a true democracy.
SCOTUS is a fucking joke (but most of us already knew that)
"Official" is the weasel word meaning "Republican".
Sotomayor Dissenting: >Looking beyond the fate of this particular prosecution, the long-term consequences of today’s decision are stark. The Court effectively creates a law-free zone around thePresident, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the Founding. This new official-acts immunity now “lies about like a loaded weapon” for any President that wishesto place his own interests, his own political survival, or his own financial gain, above the interests of the Nation. Korematsu v. United States, 323 U. S. 214, 246 (1944) (Jackson, J., dissenting). >The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly theworld. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune. >Let the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be asbold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority’s message today. >Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and Ipray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, thePresident is now a king above the law. >The majority’s single-minded fixation on the President’s need for boldness and dispatch ignores the countervailing need for accountability and restraint. The Framers were not so single-minded. In the Federalist Papers, after “endeavor[ing] to show” that the Executive designed by the Constitution “combines . . . all the requisites to energy,” Alexander Hamilton asked a separate, equally important question: “Does it also combine the requisites to safety, in a republican sense, a due dependence on the people, a due responsibility?” The Federalist No. 77, p. 507 (J. Harvard Library ed. 2009). The answer then was yes, based in part upon the President’s vulnerability to “prosecution in thecommon course of law.” Ibid. The answer after today is no. >Never in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violatethe criminal law. Moving forward, however, all formerPresidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop. >With fear for our democracy, I dissent.
Nixon crawling out of the grave: Hold up, I had Presidential Immunity???
He didn't even have to tell us he's not a crook! It's physically impossible for him to do crooked things!
It seems like i post every day that america has lost into mind, and from the outside looking in its horrific to watch. But What makes it all the more crazy, is that america is tearing itself apart for the benefit of Donald Trump of all people. It just beggars belief.
Trump and his voters were gullible, useful idiots that were used to stack the courts and dismantle democracy. That's it.
I want to thank the Supreme Court for letting everybody know that it doesn't matter how old Joe is. Vote blue now! Vote blue forever.
It's more important now than ever!
Nixon would never have had to resign with this Supreme court.
I predict the distinction between "official" and "unofficial" acts will be highly dependent on which party holds the presidency. This ruling binds Biden but does not protect him, while protecting Trump but not binding him.
There is a way to ensure that a Democrat president's acts will be considered "official". See "Game of Thrones" for examples.
*Biden puts the Seal of the President of the United States on an order to assassinate Trump* There, now it's official.
Official act: whatever a Republican president, current or former, does and which they claimed as official when it happened, after the fact, or even just decided it was official and never said so aloud. Unofficial act: anything a Democrat does that the R squad doesn’t like.
Time to forcibly remove SCOTUS
Officially!
Foreign and domestic is thrown around so much by that damn party and their supporters, and now when it well and truly applies, they ignore it. Because it’s them. They are the domestic threat. In the time of our founding fathers they would have been put to death well before now for their shameless grabs for power. How anyone can know our history as a country and what we’ve had to go through only to then support this is so unbelievable and insulting to the US’s soul.
Thank you Trumpers for fucking over our country for a couple extra bucks in your pocket. Losers.
Cool open the floodgates Joe we can do whatever we want
It's time to restructure the Supreme court
We are literally seeing Rome fall for the second time
To all y'all who voted against Hillary in 2016 saying oh Trump will only be in there 4 years what's the worst that can happen... FUCK YOU!!!!
And both the Bush's...that's who put Thomas and Alito on the court.
Well America, it was a good run while it lasted.
Go ahead Joe. Take him out. Now. You're in the clear.
If, god forbid, Trump is elected again, we are fucked. ROYALLY fucked. I mean, we would have been anyway, but now? Fuck.
Is campaigning an official act? Because everything he did was in service of his campaign for reelection. This should only empower Biden to do some wild shit with his executive power while he still has it, and let the lawsuits bounce off his immunity like spitballs. Scrub student loans, and medical debt, then institute single payer healthcare. Get cracking Joe.
Lock them ALL up.
Here's the thing though, they haven't defined what's considered an official or unofficial act yet. And nowhere does it say they need to. Replace them, and let the new court decide that what you did was fine.
The supreme court is completely worthless and should be defunded. Those robe wearing bitches can get real jobs.
Well everyone has to suck it up and vote for Joe Biden. Cause you know once Trump gets in again he will never leave. He'll hand it down to his kids if we let him. I'm disappointed certainly, but I honestly always knew the voters would have to protect themselves. You cannot allow Republicans to win over and over in state and local elections and then expect to walk away a free man.
republicans are now full steam ahead in ending the American experiment. If you weren't concerned before, now is the time.
The election is more than Biden and Trump. It is about the SCOTUS. And it is about corrupting other agencies and ruling bodies if they put in puppets and religious nutjobs/zealots in lifetime positions. Have we forgotten the Stephen Millers and Betsy Devos and other clowns.
They also ruled in favor of January 6th violators this week. So I guess that means we can do exactly what they did on January 6th now
So, does that mean there is no such thing as abuse of power or obstruction of justice if the President calls in favors or intercedes in what is supposed to be an independent justice department? Also, bad news for Jeffrey Clarke. Trump having immunity means you alone will go to jail for the DOJ stuff. Immunity doesn't mean a crime was not committed.
The coup was successful and it was way before January 6.
If it is determined that Trump is a threat to our democracy, our constitution and our national security, doesn’t this in fact green-light Biden to declare a state of emergency to deal with this threat? Trump and MAGA are the “enemy within” - domestic enemies of our constitution and republic. GO GET ‘EM BIDEN!
“But her emails “
The Dems suck, let's try this trump guy. I mean what could possibly go wrong? You're not only on the way to the dark ages, you are actually on the way to becoming a major threat to the world. A president colluding with Russia and threatening to get out of NATO. That's gonna be fun.
This sets an awesome precedent for fascism. Thank you RBG for staying in the SCOTUS until you were 300 years old
Don't forget McConnelle "tHe PrEsiDeNt shOuLd'nT nOmInatE juDgEs iN laSt YeAr ofA tErm" (some conditions apply).
Thanks for the ruling predicated on a definition of words that doesn’t exist
And here again, we have a historical moment. Democrats will act in good faith and do nothing, and then when Republicans get in power again they will do whatever the fuck they want. This is so fucking infuriating. We all joke about what Biden could do, knowing full well he won't do a fucking thing, and then we are fucked. TBH as a woman, things like this are why I just got my tubes removed for permanent sterilization. People say that in my state abortion will always be safe, but that is straight up denial and refusing to think a few steps ahead.
Take old orangie out back and put the country out of its misery... just make sure it's official
Michelle Obama’s “WhEN ThEY Go LoW, wE gO HiGH” mantra from the 2016 DNC convention has been a failure.
SCOTUS laying the ground work for Project 2025
And I was already pissed that cops can speed despite it being illegal, but now the president can too!?!?!
Unpatriotic traitors to America
So we're now a dictatorship, if the president officially decides not to quit at the end of his term.
I don't see how any of what he did could be considered an "official" act.
The Democratic Party should take this ruling and run with it. Trump is an enemy of the state. The GOP is a terrorist organization. Make bold claims and then force our new judicial overlords to refute them. But the Dems have no spine or stomach for such things. Fuck this country to its core.
Ok, someone smarter than me, please chime in. Wouldn’t this mean that President Biden could basically just do the same exact things former President Trump did and escape prosecution? I understand that this is just SCOTUS kicking the can down the road, but doesn’t this just open the door for more potential misconduct by those who don’t intend to protect and defend the country?
In short, yes. By not defining what constitutes that gray area of presumptive immunity, SCOTUS has - for all intents and purposes - made itself the sole arbiter (outside of impeachment) of “official act” on a case by case basis. Anything can be argued as “official” and therefore appealed up the chain to SCOTUS. Theoretically this was always the case as Presidential immunity isn’t a new concept, but there were historical norms that Presidents respected. Trump blew that up, and by issuing the decision in this way SCOTUS is effectively saying it’s an open question whether planning a coup is an “official act,” which is patently insane.