Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Monday issued a searing rebuke of the Supreme Court, saying it has “gone rogue” in granting presidential immunity for official acts taken in office and has “further diminished” its credibility.
“Today, the Supreme Court has gone rogue with its decision, violating the foundational American principle that no one is above the law,” Pelosi wrote. “The former president’s claim of total presidential immunity is an insult to the vision of our founders, who declared independence from a King.”
“The Supreme Court placed itself on trial with this decision – and its credibility has been further diminished in the eyes of all those who believe in the rule of law,” she added.
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in a decision that core presidential powers are immune from criminal prosecution, a win for former President Trump that returns his federal election interference case back to a lower court to determine whether actions he took in his efforts to overturn the election in 2020 merit protection.
The ruling was decided on ideological lines and stopped short of granting Trump the total immunity he sought in the case. Still, it helps Trump by making it less likely the case will head to trial before the 2024 presidential election this November.
Pelosi pointed to part of the court’s ruling that determined that officials acts are inadmissible in trials for unofficial acts, calling it a “seriously dangerous aspect of the ruling.”
“With its delay, the Republican-appointed 6-3 Court gave the defendant a political gift,” Pelosi wrote.
The decision takes a sledgehammer to some of special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment of Trump, determining various actions Trump took to remain in power after losing the election were indeed protected.
The case now returns to district court, where proceedings have been paused while the high court weighed Trump’s immunity claims. Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the matter, must now weigh the issue for a second time as well as other pending efforts by Trump seeking to toss the case.
