Democratic lawmakers lamented the conservative-majority Supreme Court’s decision Monday to grant the president limited immunity for acts done in official capacity.
“This is a sad day for America and a sad day for our democracy,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York wrote to X. “A fundamental part of our justice system is that no one is above the law.”
“Treason and incitement of insurrection should not be considered core constitutional powers given to the president,” he continued.
Supreme Court rules former presidents are protected from prosecution for official conduct in immunity cases
Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (R), reacted to the Supreme Court’s immunity decision. (Getty Images)
The court ruled Monday that the former president has a substantive right to immunity from prosecution. This rule applies to official conduct conducted while in office, but not to private conduct. The decision was made 6-3, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing the majority opinion.
“The President does not enjoy immunity for informal acts, and not all of the President’s acts are official,” he wrote.
“This court has completely lost its credibility, as made painfully clear by the fact that Justices Thomas and Alito refused to recuse themselves from this case despite their clear lack of impartiality,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) said in a statement.
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The U.S. Supreme Court appears concerned about how presidential immunity for the crimes alleged by Special Counsel Jack Smith might affect the future functioning of the executive branch. (Courtesy: William J. Hennessy, Jr.)
Vermont lawmakers have been pushing for ethics reform at the nation’s highest court.
The decision sets a “dangerous precedent,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said in a statement. “House Democrats will provide aggressive oversight and legislative action to ensure that the far-right majority upholds the Constitution,” he added.
House Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) called the ruling “shocking.”
“The far-right Supreme Court has significantly weakened the president’s accountability when he seeks to use the power of his office for criminal purposes — a devastating decision that could have serious implications for our democracy,” she argued.
A weak Democratic lawmaker declined to say whether Biden should be the candidate, saying “the president can make that decision himself.”
Outside the U.S. Supreme Court, June 25, 2024. (Fox News Digital/Lisa Benatan)
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., another strong supporter of ethics reform, wrote to X that he was “stomach-churning with horror and anger that our democracy should be so endangered by an out-of-control Supreme Court.”
“Members of the court’s conservative majority will rightly be viewed by the American public as extreme, blatantly partisan hacks — politicians in robes,” he said.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., argued that the Supreme Court “got out of control” in ruling. “A former president’s assertion of total presidential immunity is an affront to the vision of our Founding Fathers, who declared our independence from King,” she said in a statement.
Congressional Democrats were quick to point out that three of the justices were appointed by former President Trump, and Schumer said the immunity decisions handed down by the court’s conservative wing “suggest that political influence prevails above all else on the Supreme Court today.”
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Supreme Court justices pose for an official photograph. (Photo: Olivier Dourilley/AFP via Getty Images)
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“The president has appointed three extreme justices and is abusing presidential power in ways never before imagined. The Supreme Court can no longer be relied upon to protect the Constitution,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif.
Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin did not comment on the decision itself, but she blasted the Supreme Court in general for its handling of Case X. “Remember, Republicans and this activist Supreme Court are responsible for stripping women of their reproductive rights, and the assault on our freedoms is not over. My Women’s Health Protection Act will restore these rights across the country. Let’s pass it,” she wrote.
