Supreme Court Justice John Roberts has been left “shaken” by the unexpected public reaction to his ruling in the Donald Trumppresidential immunity case, a columnist wrote Friday.
Slate’s judicial writer Dahlia Lithwick wrote that Roberts was left shocked that Americans didn’t buy his attempt to persuade them that his ruling was not about Trump, but instead focused on the office of the presidency. The court ruled that a president was largely immune from criminal prosecution for official actions.
Lithwick referenced a report by CNN’s Joan Biskupic. He “was shaken by the adverse public reaction to his decision affording [Donald] Trump substantial immunity from criminal prosecution," she wrote.
"His protestations that the case concerned the presidency, not Trump, held little currency.”
Unexpected? How the fuck is backlash about a ruling saying the President is above the law unexpected?
Because every 8th grade civics course says the same thing. You punish Presidents with impeachment.
Yeah, no. Impeachment has nothing to do with whether actions are legal or illegal, and has nothing to do with criminal charges. Impeachment is a political process with the ultimate result being removal from office.
Impeachment and removal from office does not mean they would go to jail, it is not a criminal trial. It literally just removes the person from office.
Prior to this decision, Presidential acts could still be prosecuted if they were criminal, DOJ policy just meant that a sitting president wouldn’t be charged.
This Supreme Court decided that anything the President does, even if it is clearly and overtly illegal, but done as part of the Presidential duties, is inherently immune from prosecution.
For real. He’s either being completely disingenuous or he’s really that much of an oblivious asshole.
I can only imagine the kind of impenetrable bubble this extremely small, privileged group of people live in. Especially after a decade or more.
Making up (increasingly unprecedented) rules that 1/3 of a billion people must live by. With no possible repercussions for corruption, incoherence, anything. We should’ve been very careful who we added to this court. Extremist christian fascists using a useful idiot to replace over 1/3 of court (so far!) is a nuclear bomb waiting to explode.
Unbelievably, he managed to underestimate the political awareness of the US public to his office. The bar was already on the floor.
More like digging required.
Exactly. How can he claim to be shocked when the dissent told him why he’s a monster? Dude is a liar.
He has gotten away with it for along time.