The United States Supreme Court on Monday issued a 6-3 ruling that former presidents have total immunity from prosecution for any official presidential acts, but do not have immunity for any unofficial acts.
“The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official. The President is not above the law. But Congress may not criminalize the President’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the Executive Branch under the Constitution. And the system of separated powers designed by the Framers has always demanded an energetic, independent Executive. The President therefore may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. That immunity applies equally to all occupants of the Oval Office, regardless of politics, policy, or party.”
The justices also ordered lower courts to now apply their decision to the Donald Trump immunity case being led by special prosecutor Jack Smith.
Conservatives are calling the decision a victory, but some leftist legal analysts appear to believe there is still room for the lower courts to rule against the former president.
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