U.S. Supreme Court: Post-Ginsburg Edition

And what judge might that be? Hmmm xp

it's clear the president has to have trump killed as a presidential act in order to save democracy as the founders understood it.

Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.

Note the 'his'

Judge Chutkin?

xxp

so uhh what does an "official act" mean here? does inciting an insurrection, stealing classified docs, pressuring a Secretary of State to "find votes" count as an "official" act?

that's what I asked a few minutes ago

not unless those things were scheduled in his Outlook

when you're saving democracy things get real

does this mean that Biden could actually order the assassination of Trump under the guise of "saving the country" and it would all be very legal and very cool??

This ruling applies to the Jan 6 case and that will be sent back to Chutkin to decide whether some or all of it falls under unofficial acts. This would not apply to the documents case which involves actions that happened when Trump wasn't president.

does this mean that Biden could actually order the assassination of Trump under the guise of "saving the country" and it would all be very legal and very cool??

― frogbs,

No, because Biden isn't a Republican president protected by a Republican SCOTUS majority.

we're fucked

does this mean that Biden could actually order the assassination of Trump under the guise of "saving the country" and it would all be very legal and very cool??

Honestly, it seems that way to me. Charge him with insurrection, throw him in a black site for interrogation. Kill anyone who objects.

there is a part of me that says the empowered in this country has always believed and intended to act re the president in the way described in this decision, this only makes the quiet part loud. the other part of me says burn this fake scotus court to the ground.

I mean I had no hopes of any of these other cases even being tried in the first place but it's pretty scary what this means when Trump takes over in 2025, all his revenge and retribution fantasies can just continue unchecked

yeah "blacksite your opponent before he gets a shot at blacksiting you" seems not only possible but imperative.

even in the bad old days scotus might call such a decision an absurdity, but here we are.

ope, sorry, even though all of this happened on tv on january 6 2021 and we all saw it, it took too long, 3.5 years and counting, for the legal system to do jackshit, so we just have to let the people decide now! sorry!! dangit, can't believe it took that long, time really slipped, whoooooops!!!

let's see, we all saw trump murder a guy on 5th ave, let's go ahead and set up that preliminary trial briefing for....the year 2094. no let's make that a round year 2100. no let's make that 2101, so we can get started on the first day of the new century? wait is the new century 2100 or 2101? a guy named pplains used to ask these questions, many ages ago. let's just do 2150

like does this not just straight up mean a Republican president is now allowed to do whatever illegal shit they want in order to remain in power?

Picture of dark brandon: IMMUNE FROM OFFICIAL ACT CRIMES: THANKS TRUMP!

like does this not just straight up mean a Republican president is now allowed to do whatever illegal shit they want in order to remain in power?

it means no more Democratic presidents, kinda

"With fear for our democracy, I dissent."

xp
oh, you can't just do whatever you want now. you also have to make sure that you have at least some bogus claim from a bullshit 8th rate nepobaby lawyer that your clear-as-day crimes were actually official acts as president

presumably roberts: "surely trad standards will prevail" me: "the failure of the standards already is how we got here you dripping anal abcess."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented the opinion.

Justice Sotomayor called the consequences of the court's decision "stark" and said the court's decision allows a president to use official powers to be insulated from criminal prosecution.

"Today's decision to grant former Presidents criminal immunity reshapes the institution of the presidency," she wrote.

Justice Sotomayor said a president would now be protected if they order the Navy's Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival, organise a military dissenting coup to hold onto power, or take bribes in exchange for a pardon.

"Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done," she wrote.

fascism is a counter-revolution against a revolution that never happened

i hear john yoo is available

OK, Joe, they just crowned you king. Fucking act like it.

"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... With fear for our democracy, I dissent". - sotomayor

the decision is basically on the level of "While the President did strangle his opponent to death, he did so with his hands. Hands are often used to in official Presidential acts such as signing bills and waving at crowds."

who is this sotomayor chick does she have a vlog

The amazing thing is, they did this knowing that at least in theory, it would apply to Democratic presidents, too...because they don't think a Democratic president would ever actually use these powers. Or because, as was said above, they don't think there will be any more Democratic presidents after January.

Jesus fucking christ.

yeah I mean is that not basically it for this country? say a Dem wins in 2028, Trump can just go "lol nah" and use the military to pressure the states to "find" the needed votes? idk this is genuinely insane I did not expect this

Trump can just go "lol nah"

correction, he has to go "this is an official act: lol nah" before he kills us

The amazing thing is, they did this knowing that at least in theory, it would apply to Democratic presidents, too...because they don't think a Democratic president would ever actually use these powers. Or because, as was said above, they don't think there will be any more Democratic presidents after January.

― Instead of create and send out, it pull back and consume (unperson)

Or they assume correctly that Dems would be too craven to use the powers.

Or they assume correctly that Dems would be too craven to use the powers.

sorry to repeat the thing about fascism being a counter-revolution against a revolution that never happened, but it's important to maga to convince rank and file republicans that democrats really are going to use the new "powers" (aka the president totally is fucking above the law, goddammit), so that the republicans can abuse the powers first and save the country from the evil socialists, etc

A key quote from the immunity ruling: “Trump is absolutely immune from prosecution for the alleged conduct involving his discussions with Justice Department officials.”

that's handy!

Sotomayor: pic.twitter.com/z5BAeJg5c5

— Chris “Law Dork” Geidner (@chrisgeidner) July 1, 2024

i'd ask "does this hurt Trump at the ballot box because now independents are afraid of him" but then I'd have to stop laughing at the idea first

What a country.

yeah, I am about as pessimistic about the future of this country as ever. we're pretty much done now, huh? just rolling out the red carpet for the Trump regime. we're good and truly fucked and I don't see a way out.

On the bright side: I guess SCOTUS just gave Biden the opportunity to do the funniest thing possible right now???

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) July 1, 2024

Biden should send the court majority to Gitmo. its legal now! he can just call it treason.

If Brandon is at death’s door as everyone thinks he is he might as well settle all accounts Godfather baptism scene-style.

he'll never do it. he's lame.

christianity really is a helluva drug. they must see trump as the antichrist. let everything burn. jeebus is comin'.

No they think he’s literally Jesus

Dems always view the institutions and checks and balances as healthy or at least healthier than everybody else knows them to be, so when shit like this happens, they always say "we will prevail by going high".

Trump doesn't even matter now. any President who takes that office is a risk now.

Biden should issue an Executive Order saying being President is illegal.