
immunity from prosecution for official acts, potentially derailing a case against former president Donald Trump for his alleged role in efforts to prevent the certification of 2020 election results. In response, Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez vowed to impeach the Supreme Court justices responsible for the ruling.
Congress is responsible for defending the United States from “authoritarian capture,” Ocasio-Cortez said via social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter). The congresswoman said that she intends to file articles of impeachment upon lawmakers’ return to work, although she did not specify which justices would be targeted by the impeachment effort.
However, the effort would have to clear the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and gain two-thirds support in the Senate, where Democrats hold a narrow majority. Congress has only attempted to impeach one justice in its history, Samuel Chase, whom the House impeached in 1804 and the Senate acquitted.
Whereas Democrats expressed concern about the ruling, Republicans hailed it as a legal victory. Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik called the Supreme Court’s decision a “historic” win for Trump, the Constitution, and the rule of law.
The Supreme Court ruled that although presidents have immunity from prosecution for official acts, they could still face legal consequences for unofficial acts. As such, prosecutors would have to prove that Trump was not acting in an official capacity as it relates to the allegations against him.
The ruling has consequences beyond the election subversion case as well. Sentencing in the so-called “hush money” case against Trump was delayed in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling. A sentencing hearing in the case was pushed back from July 11 to September 18.
In May, a jury convicted Trump on charges of falsifying business records. Trump’s lawyers contend that the court should not have been allowed to use evidence related to the former president’s official acts.
Although the Supreme Court’s decision does not immediately exonerate Trump in the cases against him, the ruling clearly has Democrats concerned that he could beat the legal challenges plaguing his 2024 reelection bid.
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