I fucking hate being right. The spurt of triumph / I told you so juice is not enough compensation. I fucking hate this.
SCOTUS
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We are not a nation of laws. Latest Elie Mystal.
https://www.thenation.com/article/socie ... eme-court/The President Can Now Assassinate You, Officially
Under this new standard, a president can go on a four-to-eight year crime spree and then retire from public life, never to be held accountable.
Welp, Donald Trump won. The Supreme Court today ruled that presidents are entitled to “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution for official acts, then contended that pressuring the vice president and the Department of Justice to overthrow the government was an “official act,” then said that talking to advisers or making public statements are “official acts” as well, and then determined evidence of what presidents say and do cannot be used against them to establish that their acts are “unofficial.”
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Moreover, unlike other officials, presidents are now entitled to absolute immunity from criminal charges. Even a cop can be charged with, say, murder, even if they argue that killing people is part of their jobs. But not presidents. Presidents can murder, rape, steal, and pretty much do whatever they want, so long as they argue that murdering, raping, and stealing is part of the official job of the president of the United States. There is no crime that pierces the veil of absolute immunity.
And there is essentially nothing we can do to change it. The courts created qualified immunity for public officials, but it can be undone by state or federal legislatures if they pass a law removing that protection. Not so with absolute presidential immunity. The court here says that absolute immunity is required by the separation of powers inherent in the Constitution, meaning that Congress cannot take it away. Congress, according to the Supreme Court, does not have the power to pass legislation saying “the president can be prosecuted for crimes.” Impeachment, and only impeachment, is the only way to punish presidents, and, somewhat obviously, impeachment does nothing to a president who is already no longer in office.
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“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
SCOTUS
I continue to adore Andrew Weissman, who started the day with a verbal battle royal with the human drone (as in bee), Chuck Rosenberg about the level of alarm appropriate to the immunity ruling, and who just told the unstoppable Chatty Cathy, Chris Jansen, in passing, that he doesn't consider the USA a functioning democracy at this point.
SCOTUS
And recall, gentle listener, that in the New York prosecution there was some (but not very much) evidence of acts committed after January 20, 2017.New Turtle wrote: ↑Mon Jul 01, 2024 2:38 pmThey say it's for other courts to decide, then they have the option to review if asked.
Will this be enough to undo the New York conviction? Probably not. But enough to create delay? Quite possible.
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Geez, too bad this guy wasn't around for this ruling.
Republican Voters Against Trump @AccountableGOP wrote: Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in September 2018:
“Under the Constitution, the president is not above the law. No one is above the law…The president remains subject to the law.”
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
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Laurence Tribe 🇺🇦 ⚖️ @tribelaw wrote: On re-reading the decision, I’m all the more convinced that the blow is a devastating one — a “5-alarm fire![]()
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that threatens to consume democratic self-government,” to quote Justice Jackson’s powerful dissent.
MSNBC @MSNBC wrote: "This is a devastating blow to our system of government."
WATCH: @tribelaw reacts to today's Supreme Court ruling and how it could derail Trump's cases in DC, GA, FL
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
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https://x.com/RepAdamSchiff/status/1807829849144254856
(Emphasis in original.)Adam Schiff @RepAdamSchiff wrote: Today’s Supreme Court decision on Donald Trump’s immunity claim is far worse than anything I imagined...
Effectively giving a president immunity for any crimes committed while in office as long as that president can plausibly claim the action was taken in some form of official capacity.
It must now be presumed that the president, as king, is immune from accountability.► Show Spoiler
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
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Too bad we didn't have this dude on the court for the latest ruling.
Republican Voters Against Trump @AccountableGOP wrote: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in January 2006:
“There is nothing that is more important for our republic than the rule of law. No person in this country, no matter how high or powerful, is above the law.”
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
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![I'm Thinking :think:](./images/smilies/think.gif)
https://x.com/ElieNYC/status/1807823369988936143
Elie Mystal @ElieNYC wrote: Here's a question: Why would any president ever be impeached now? If presidents are absolutely immune from prosecution for "high crimes," then what's the theory of a future impeachment? "The President is allowed to do this, but we don't like it"?
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
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News: [Bernie] Sanders statement, "The Supreme Court is Out of Control"
► Show Spoiler
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
- Frater I*I
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Their republic lasted longer than ours...Slim Cognito wrote: ↑Mon Jul 01, 2024 3:03 pm We had a good run.
The Roman Empire lasted longer than we did
We have now entered the age of The American Empire, under the benevolent stewardship of Emperors Alito, Thomas, Roberts, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett...
Ave Imperators!!!!!
"He sewed his eyes shut because he is afraid to see, He tries to tell me what I put inside of me
He's got the answers to ease my curiosity, He dreamed a god up and called it Christianity"
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He's got the answers to ease my curiosity, He dreamed a god up and called it Christianity"
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SCOTUS
Although the body of the article somewhat more accurately reflects the possible ramifications of the SCOTUS ruling this is how the headline they chose.
“Trump has some immunity from prosecution, Supreme Court rules”:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrrv8yg3nvo
ETA. I’ve always believed that the UK’s way of selecting the judiciary was both anachronistic and somewhat corrupt / biased towards the status quo / establishment and still do, but I do not believe that any court in the UK would issue such a ruling (well not yet anyway).
“Trump has some immunity from prosecution, Supreme Court rules”:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czrrv8yg3nvo
ETA. I’ve always believed that the UK’s way of selecting the judiciary was both anachronistic and somewhat corrupt / biased towards the status quo / establishment and still do, but I do not believe that any court in the UK would issue such a ruling (well not yet anyway).
If you can't lie to yourself, who can you lie to?
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SCOTUS
This is the 2nd time since 2000 I am so sad I'm not the commander of the Old Guard.
Sigh.
Sigh.
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Follow-up on the follow-up question:
Can an POTUS now sign a illegal Executive Order and have it take effect, eg does immunity carry over to the rules? How can federal judges declare such an EO invalid even though it was an immune action?
Can an POTUS now sign a illegal Executive Order and have it take effect, eg does immunity carry over to the rules? How can federal judges declare such an EO invalid even though it was an immune action?
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Too bad this guy wasn't there with the latest SCOTUS decision.
Republican Voters Against Trump @AccountableGOP wrote: Chief Justice John Roberts at his confirmation hearing: “No one is above the law under our system and that includes the president. The president is fully bound by the law.” (Sept. 2005)
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
SCOTUS
Technically, no, as impeachment always have been inherently political. But no president is going to be impeached in light of this ruling.
Courts could still invalidate the order while not permitting the president to be prosecuted for issuing such an order. (And no sitting president was going to be prosecuted anyway.)
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Immunity from criminal prosecution is separate from the legality of presidential action.
So in theory, if the president issues an executive order that his term was extended to eight years, a court could invalidate the order as unlawful, although the president probably couldn't be prosecuted after his term. I say probably, because no one knows what is and isn't an official presidential act.
So in theory, if the president issues an executive order that his term was extended to eight years, a court could invalidate the order as unlawful, although the president probably couldn't be prosecuted after his term. I say probably, because no one knows what is and isn't an official presidential act.
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Wow, bet this guy feels pretty dumb about now.
Republicans against Trump @RpsAgainstTrump wrote: Mitch McConnell, Feb. 2021: “Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office…We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation and former presidents are not immune from being held accountable by either one”
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams