The conservative-led Supreme Court Monday granted immunity to former President Trump for what it called “official acts” while he was serving in the White House.
By a 6-3 vote, the right-wing justices ruled that presidents may not be held accountable for actions that fall within their official duties, even if the actions would otherwise be deemed crimes.
In the 111-page decision written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the judges ruled presidents could only be charged after they leave office and only for actions that fall outside the bounds of their official duties, and they also made that far more difficult.
They ordered the federal prosecution of Trump for seeking to overturn his loss in the 2020 election back to a lower court for proceedings to determine which actions the ex-president could be tried for, if any.
In a blistering dissent, liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the ruling amounted to a declaration that “the presidents is now a king.”
Most legal analysts predicted the ruling would have the practical effect of derailing the ongoing criminal cases against Trump, including the Jan. 6 election interference case, although some optimistically suggested Special Counsel Jack Smith could keep a slimmed-down case on track.
Read the Supreme Court’s decision below.
