Democratic lawmakers lamented the conservative majority Supreme Court’s decision on Monday, granting presidents limited immunity for actions in their official capacity.
“This is a sad day for America and a sad day for our democracy,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on X. “The very basis of our judicial system is that no one is above the law.”
“Treason or incitement of an insurrection should not be considered a core constitutional power afforded to a president,” he continued.
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The court ruled on Monday that former presidents have substantial immunity from prosecution when it comes to official acts while they are in office, but this does not extend to unofficial acts. The ruling was decided 6-3, with Chief Justice John Roberts authoring the majority opinion.
“The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official,” he wrote.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said she would introduce articles of impeachment over the decision, though she did not specify which justices she would target.
“The Supreme Court has become consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control. Today’s ruling represents an assault on American democracy. It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture. I intend on filing articles of impeachment upon our return,” Ocasio-Cortez said on X.
Minutes later, fellow progressive Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, responded, “Count me in.”
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., claimed in a statement, “This Court has lost all credibility—made painfully clear by the fact that Justice Thomas and Justice Alito refused to recuse themselves from this case despite their glaring lack of impartiality.”
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The Vermont lawmaker has been an advocate of ethical reform for the nation’s highest court.
The ruling sets a “dangerous precedent,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a statement. “House Democrats will engage in aggressive oversight and legislative activity with respect to the Supreme Court to ensure that the extreme, far-right justices in the majority are brought into compliance with the Constitution,” he added.
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., called the ruling “shocking.”
“The extreme right-wing Supreme Court just drastically weakened accountability if a president attempts to use their office for criminal purposes. It’s a disastrous ruling that could have grave effects on our democracy,” she claimed.
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Another strong advocate for ethics reform, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., wrote on X, “My stomach turns with fear & anger that our democracy can be so endangered by an out-of-control Court.”
“The members of Court’s conservative majority will now be rightly perceived by the American people as extreme & nakedly partisan hacks—politicians in robes,” he said.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., claimed the Supreme Court had gone “rogue” in its decision-making. “The former president’s claim of total presidential immunity is an insult to the vision of our founders, who declared independence from a King,” she said in a statement.
Democrats in Congress were quick to point out that three of the justices were appointed by former President Trump. According to Schumer, the decision on immunity, handed down by the court’s conservatives, “suggests political influence trumps all in our courts today.”
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“He appointed 3 extreme judges and is now exploiting the powers of the president in ways that were once unthinkable. The court can no longer be counted on to defend the constitution,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif.
Vulnerable Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin avoided opining on the ruling itself, but bashed the Supreme Court in general on X. “Reminder: Republicans and this activist Supreme Court are responsible for stripping away women’s reproductive rights and they aren’t done attacking our freedoms. My Women’s Health Protection Act would restore these rights everywhere across the country. Let’s pass it,” she wrote.
