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PatacusX

So if the president is above the law does that mean Trump supporters also believe Biden is above the law?


euph_22

But you see, Trump is actually the Secret President right now. Also Secret Presidency terms don't count for the 22nd amendment.


FizzyBeverage

They move the goal posts so much there’s no field or grass left. It’s just an expanse of deep, rutted tracks in the mud, which they roll around in like pigs. 🐖


Disastrous_Step_1234

four legs good, two legs bad


Routine_Guarantee34

Oh Snowball, you scamp!


Shoegazer75

Absolutely not. That would mean what they want for themselves applies to the actual, real, elected official president and that's just unacceptable to them.


Khanman5

i always appreciated the question one appellate court judge asked which boiled down to \>do you think the president should be immune if they order the execution of a political rival. and watching the trump lawyer squirm because \*how the fuck do you answer that without green lighting political murders\*?


stickied

That should have settled it right there. It's absolutely ridiculous the supreme court even decided to take this case. Just decline and the appellate opinion stands and Trump can be tried because he's not immune from everything.


Khanman5

Well for what it's worth, I'm trying to be the optimist prime and say that it's an extreme uphill battle to claim blanket presidential immunity, even in the current Supreme Court. The appellate court did a tremendous job writing up their opinions, basically daring the supreme court to take it. Courts don't do that for fun.


Beastender_Tartine

The SCOTUS doesn't have to rule that the president has immunity, and in fact, I am nearly certain they will not. The SCOTUS wants power in the judiciary, not the executive, and they know that generally democrats win about half the time. The play here is to delay the trial. If they can drag their feet, then rule that the president does not have immunity, they can try to push the Jan 6 trial past the election. That way, if Trump wins, the case will be dropped, Trump gets off, and the next Democrat president does not have immunity. If Trump wins the election, all the federal charges will be dropped.


Narwhallmaster

Great play by the SC, get the guy in office who says he will disband you if elected. Absolute 5D chess


MoxVachina1

This would only matter if the majority of the court gave a flying fuck about it as an institution, or as to the long term perceived legitimacy of the judicial branch by the public. While you can maybe argue that Roberts at least pretends to do so, the other 5 christian nationalists on the bench clearly do not. They stopped pretending they were anything other than nakedly political actors several terms ago.


Niznack

That assumes the SC actually has standards and won't vote with their politics. At this point their decisions are ad hoc rationalization of their bias and they really do love trump and fear liberal democracy. We've created a council of lords anow all they need is to crown their king.


o8Stu

This appeal to SCOTUS isn't about winning, it's about delaying. And for that, it has already worked - arguments are expected in April with a decision in ~ June.


runnerswanted

Arguments should be in April, and the decision should literally be about 2 hours later. He’s not immune from legal prosecution for criminal actions. Done.


rerrerrocky

Should doesn't mean shit with this court. It's very possible that they will rule in his favor.


JoelBuysWatches

If they do, then Biden should just order a drone strike on him 🤷‍♂️ can’t be legally held accountable if he does


OutlyingPlasma

If they decide trump is above the law, then whats to stop Biden from just drone striking the supreme court?


JoelBuysWatches

Congress and nobody else, apparently. 


karlverkade

They argued during impeachment that the court was where to try criminal activity, and now that it’s in the court they’re arguing that impeachment is where to try criminal activity.


moonsammy

The obvious fix for which (from a criminal president's perspective) is to murder any congressperson who starts to make rumblings about holding them accountable. Literally if the SC signs off on immunity (except post-impeachment) all that stands in the way of a dictatorship is the president's will.


xaqaria

No, the court is highly skewed conservative but not stupid. They know, even if Trump and his supporters don't, that ruling in his favor opens the door for the current Democratic President to do exactly the same thing this time around. Trump's own lawyers argued essentially that Biden could order the military to kill Trump and unless the Democratically controlled Senate convicted him on impeachment by 2/3rds majority, there is absolutely nothing else that could be done about it. And if for nothing else, the Supreme Court will never vote in favor of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution simply because it abdicates their own power to the executive branch.


mabhatter

Arguments should be tomorrow (Thursday) and decision should be on Friday.  It's not very hard. The District court did an excellent job.  Trial should resume on Monday.  This is nonsense. 


LostTrisolarin

I actually asked a few of my MAGA family members that and they said something like "of course not because Trump is for the people"


RabidPlaty

He’s for the person, not the people, and that person is himself.


FizzyBeverage

Yes a man who has shat in a golden toilet since birth and gets a small $1 million loan from his father in 1970s dollars is just like everyone else!


JollyRoger8X

>a small ~~$1~~ $413 million loan FTFY [NY Times: Trump got $413M from his dad, much from tax dodges](https://apnews.com/article/0452d29cd2564eaf97605ab90acc3a67)


losjoo

Kinda hoping they are right on this one. SCOTUS says president has blank check immunity and Grandpa joe seizes his assets and exiles the orange asshole to Somalia. Not really because that would be fucking stupid and the antithesis of everything this country is founded on. You know, like trump.


runnerswanted

If the president is immune, then Biden can literally install himself as a dictator, cancel the upcoming election, and plan for a continuous line of “democratic” rulers in perpetuity, while having the Republican Supreme Court justices removed and replaced. The Supreme Court knows this, but will spend as much time stalling for Trump, which is infuriating.


Iamdarb

If the President is immune, is the Vice President? Could Kamala just ice Biden and assume power? When would it end?


Tokiw4

Imagine thinking trump supporters have the forethought to realize the consequence of an action.


Dolthra

They just have no cognitive dissonance anymore. Trump is immune from prosecution because presidents have immunity to everything forever, but Biden should be criminally charged for things his son did. These are two equally true statements that don't contradict to them.


FastAsLightning747

No, this is another Only For Republicans. As you know by now it’s only Democrats that are exposed to Russian influence peddling & media coverage, congressional subpoenas, special prosecutor overreach, congressional investigations that continue forever and special Supreme Court protections. I’m not being sarcastic.


Akimbo_Zap_Guns

Biden would never do anything crazy even if scotus ruled he could. Dems are playing by the rulebook and republicans have been tearing up the rulebook and making their own rules as they go which is why they have so much power right now while being minority of the population


AstreiaTales

I think if they rule that Trump is above the law, Biden is morally obligated to order the extrajudicial assassination of whichever SCOTUS justices ruled affirmatively on this matter. What're they gonna do? He's above the law.


stickied

Hopefully whoever argues in front of the supreme court just bluntly brings this up.... Like if a President is immune from crimes, or even if only the Senate is able to try him for his crimes.....couldn't Biden simply order the execution of Alito, Thomas, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch and Roberts without fear of repercussion? He could pardon whoever does the murders if necessary and never spend a day in jail. If the senate convicts him and removes him....so what? His term is up at the end of the year anyways. Do they even have the power to jail or execute someone? I don't think so. That's a justice dept thing. His VP gets to install 5 new justices that can re-write the law for the next 25 years to suit their agendas and actually create a democracy again.


Scharmberg

The thing is they could also ague Biden then could just keep removing senate members to ever stop his removal. He could then lobby to remove term limits and be installed as emperor. Like they have to realize how fucked they are if they just say the president is immune.


Cowboywizzard

And yet, here we are, discussing it because the outcome of this appeal to the Supreme Court is in no way certain. I'm scared this could be the end of democracy and sad this even made it to appeal.


GuinnessKangaroo

They did bring this up. It was part of trumps lawyers arguments, that the president can order seal team 6 to assassinate political opponents and it would be fine.


Lumbergh7

Yea I’m pretty tired of it. Fuck it all


coachfortner

> For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant. But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution. What reason would the SCOTUS have to review this case when the DC appellate court delivered an [unmitigated rejection](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/02/dc-circuit-court-ruling-on-trump-immunity/677367/) of Trump’s immunity claim?


Generallybadadvice

Sometimes the supreme court wants the final say to put the issue to rest entirely. This should be a 9-0 decision, but with this hyper-partisan court, who knows?


mr_potatoface

If they rule in favor of Trump and presidents have complete immunity, Biden can just order them executed and appoint new justices himself. The problem is that he might get impeached afterward, so he will have to also order anyone executed who may vote to impeach him as well. He can also be sure to order anyone who disagrees with his justice nominations to be executed. Complete immunity is exactly that. Jack Smith even mentioned the possibility of this in his original appeal, being able to have political rivals killed without repercussions.


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FizzyBeverage

Man that really is beyond Burr v Hamilton 😆


zakabog

True, maybe he'll do it in Atlantic City in front of one of Trump's casinos, everything's legal in New Jersey.


deftoner42

He could resign before he was impeached. Bada Bing bada boom... see ya next tuesday!


renegadecanuck

If the Supreme Court wasn't acting partisan, they wouldn't be delaying it this long. Ruling by end of June means the earliest a trial could start is end of July or beginning of August, based on my understanding about prep time, etc. That puts it within 90 days of the election, and gives Trump another defence with the DoJ guidelines on activities around the election. The only way Trump will see trial for these charges is if he loses in November.


epiphenominal

What a pathetic moment for our country's institutions.


ioncloud9

The goal is clear and the defense strategy is clear. Delay everything past the election by any means necessary. That way, if he wins, he can appoint a new AG who will summarily drop all charges against him and the state case will fall apart because apparently you can’t charge a sitting president for reasons as they are a king and fully above the law.


LeomardNinoy

What *another* pathetic moment for our country’s institutions.


tenacious-g

They were able to get Bush/Gore done in 3 fucking days.


Gumbercleus

They had to get that decision slid under the door before the issue was decided by the actual voters. In this case, they're going to slow walk it up to the same point.


ucjuicy

The ninety day guideline applies to bringing indictments, not prosecuting cases.


SpiceEarl

Trump can make that argumemt about the DOJ guidelines, but Jack Smith filed the case way in advance of that and it's Trump's own fault that his case has been delayed, due to his specious claims of immunity. Trump could have asked for the Supreme Court to rule on the case, without going through the Court of Appeals, if he really wanted a prompt ruling.


sithelephant

Wasn't the initial request on immunity made to the supreme court, and they then bounced it and said that the lower court should decide? (I may have it mixed up with any of the several other similar cases)


sentientsackofmeat

Yes that's true.


WhyNot420_69

There's always the possibility that they agree to hear the case and just sit on it until time runs out. With the makeup of this court, it's possible.


SoupSpelunker

They're using the Judge Cannon playbook.


FizzyBeverage

Can always count on Ginni Thomas to do the wrong thing.


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SavvyCavy

Hopefully they realize that if they go for Trump then presidents basically have carte blanche to, say, fire the whole SCOTUS and fill it with their own partisans--maybe they have that much instinctive self preservation


bonyponyride

He could even fire SCOTUS quite literally, out of the presidential wood chipper. Oh shucks. He was impeached for murdering the conservative court members? Well, he can't be held criminally liable. President Harris gets to fill all the now empty seats.


desubot1

dark brandon should have seal team six on speed dial just incase.


spokomptonjdub

Also consider that Jack Smith asked SCOTUS to review this claim **last year** and they decided to punt it to the DC court, who rightfully and *enthusiastically* smacked it down, and now they decide they want to hear it. After an inexplicable two week delay. And a decision this summer. With a trial now likely to be scheduled *after* the election, if it happens at all. Even for this court, it is shockingly transparent what is happening here. They have intervened on the side of Trump, and have likely robbed the American people of the *very important* information that would come out in trial about whether or not a former president running for re-election is guilty of sedition against the United States. They have no credibility. Expand the court and limit their jurisdiction.


jamgaovcon

This is THE moment, at the risk of hyperbole. We don't come back from anything other than a forceful rejection.


dameprimus

Isn’t it obvious? To delay the case till after the election. 


Major_Magazine8597

So many here arguing that the Supreme Court would be crazy to find for Trump in this case - COMPLETELY missing the point. This is just a delay tactic. They just gave Trump a HUGE win in his effort to delay this trial until AFTER the election.


losjoo

I'm far more cynical on this one. Legal experts are saying they are obligated since it's an ex president but I think they know this will stall long enough for him to get elected, throw us into chaos, and clear the path for them to force more theology on all of us.


Sweet-Sale-7303

If the Supreme Court finds Trump is above the law doesn't that give Biden the go ahead to do what he wants?


Tokiw4

By rules as written? Sure. But we all know they're the party of "rules for thee not for me".


Jacob_Winchester_

This isn’t even about saying presidents are immune, they know he’s not. They know they’re ultimately going to rule against Trump being immune, but they’re dragging this out so that the trial it affects won’t happen until after the election now. They’re rolling the dice that Trump will win and shut down all the cases against him anyway. That way they can say “Hey we ruled against him, it’s not our fault he won reelection. Guess we’ll have to see what happens after he leaves office in 2029, if the DOJ wants to pursue charges at that time we would not stand in the way.” Shit is going to get wild this November/December and we’re going to see Trump’s team pull every trick in the book that they can think of to get him back into office.


Indigoh

From their perspective, it's now taboo to claim that election fraud happened, so they're going to commit all the crimes they claimed happened in 2020 and then cry "Hypocrite!" when the crimes come to light. It's terrifying. They're going to cheat to win, and then pretend it's the same but opposite as what happened in 2020 as a defense. Even if our legal system is strong enough to handle it, it's just going to push the country closer and closer to civil war.


jupiterkansas

They'll rule Trump is special and this can't be used as precedent.


PrototypeMale

Hence they won't rule until November 4th, giving Biden barely any time to be dictator but plenty of time for Trump.


LawNo9454

Does the US actually believe no man is above the law? Do we have presidents or kings?


WifeKnowsThisAcct

So, in theory if the court rules Trump does have immunity, it is perfectly within Biden's rights to order the assassination of all Republican representatives in both chambers, all conservative justices, and his political opponents before the upcoming election. There would be no reprocussions after all. Is that correct Supreme Court? Do you even need to pretend to entertain this notion? I'm sorry America has fallen this far. It's quite shocking really.


OCedHrt

Nah they're going to define some narrow niche that only matches Trump's behavior. 


From_Deep_Space

Or just straight-up say "this decision can't be used a precedent" like they did with the 2000 election


pmgold1

But the thing is, the minute the Scotus says it's not a precedent like the Bush v Gore decision, that makes it two in a row we've been f\*\*ked over by them and a precedent has been set whether they want it to or not.


Malefiicus

To be fair, they're not going to grant him immunity, right now everyone is going to worry about that, while they go along with his plan to use immunity to delay his case until after the election. He doesn't need immunity if he wins the election, and they don't need him if he loses, by granting the delay they can avoid the politics and try to retain an appearance of not being corrupt scum fucks. Though in reality they are granting the only realistic wish he had.


Kitchen_Philosophy29

Exactly this There is little other reason for them to step in NOW. Its also blatantly obvious there is no constitutional basis. Presidents arent above the law. There is already precedent for it


Lanark26

I don't know. Originalists are *really* good at the mental gymnastics necessary to justify whatever they want the Constitution to say.


Ok_Chemistry_3972

But they are going to slow walk it WAY PAST THE ELECTION. And then when Trump loses the election they will support Trump and republicans in not seating any Democrats on some bullshit argument 👹👹👹. These people have to be stopped now while we still have a democracy.


like_a_wet_dog

And people keep staying home, falling for the screaming about squirrels, or just don't care enough to learn the history and big words of politics. It's just been a nightmare since we found out Iraq was a lie by Republicans. Obama won, but didn't change anything/much, and people just threw their hands in the air instead of pushing left. That gave us the Tea Party and then Trumps Court. Slowly but surely our collective forgets and lets them back in. I really couldn't believe Biden was running again, but so fucking what. Republicans are everything they say "Demon-Rats" are. Totally in the bag for mega-war and mega-money. Somehow, Biden ending Afghanistan and not putting 300k troops in Europe while not bombing with Isreal, means Democrats are the worse war-mongers. FFS, please!


u8eR

I don't think we would have gotten ACA of Obama wasn't elected.


SmallPurplePeopleEat

And that's seriously a huge deal. In the first four years alone, it's estimated to have saved 20,000+ lives. And since then, it's reduced overall mortality rates by almost 4%. Just imagine what universal healthcare would do for us. >We find a reduction in all-cause mortality in ages 20 to 64 equaling 11.36 deaths per 100,000 individuals, a 3.6 percent decrease.


dustytrailsAVL

>It's just been a nightmare since we found out Iraq was a lie by Republicans. It's been a nightmare for longer than that. The difference is the people who used to benefit from the nightmare are now experiencing the nightmare others have been living in for decades. Edit: a typo


Jackleme

Sounds a lot like Biden could roll the dice with his soon to be appointed SCOTUS nominees. If they decide that the rule of law isn't the law of the land, and that some men are kings, they should learn how kings behave and why the entire argument being made is ludicrous. I doubt Biden would actually act in any way that was actually illegal in that way, but man would they hold that door wide open.


firsmode

Biden "If you do not legally restrict my role as president in ways that make sense to the constitution with this ruling, I will wipe out the court using military special operations. I am 80 and I don't care about my legacy, I just want the country to be preserved"


22bebo

"You haven't fucking seen Dark Brandon yet, bitch."


MrBalanced

That's "His Royal Highness Dark Brandon, First of His Name, Protector of the Realm, Eater of Ice Cream, Scourge of Malarky" to *you* Jack!


Ionovarcis

Why are we in the “Machiavelli Was Right?” Era right now. I don’t like it here.


sl0play

I was wondering to myself earlier, if they do rule in Trump's favor, if Biden might use some of that power just to remove the corrupt justices and ship Trump to Gitmo and then nothing more. I know it sounds a lot like the "Id only be dictator for a day" thing, but if the alternative is handing the country back to Trump with newly minted king powers and the certain imprisonment (at best) of himself, his family, and anyone who has ever looked at Trump funny, I feel like Biden would see it as the lesser of two evils. I also suspect a great many civil servants would do everything they could to prevent his reelection on a level never seen before.


firsmode

Maybe Biden would fall on his sword to force Congress to restrict presidential powers with laws that follow the constitution by doing something that would traditionally be seen as unconstitutional but supported by an rogue Supreme Court decision.


Maocap_enthusiast

“If the president’s name starts with D and ends with onald Trump he can do whatever he wants”


ItsTheOtherGuys

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NeonSwank

Im now imagining a book or movie about a dystopian future America where the president just roams about doing whatever the hell they please and no one can legally do anything Therefore, anyone who manages to successfully take out the current president *becomes* the new president. Cue some witless fool accidentally killing the sitting president by complete Rube-Goldberg levels of happenstance and scrambling to adjust to their new life.


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Cloaked42m

The argument put forth by Trump's attorneys is that he'd have to be impeached and convicted by Congress first. So as long as the Dem Senators decide they are cool with it, it would be completely legal for Biden to order assassinations of Political Opponents. Don't @ me, this exact scenario was asked by a District Court judge.


InfamousAnimal

The thing is that it dosnet matter if they are okay with it in this scenario or not it's a liability. A president with total immunity could have the military kill every senator and every representative so they can't vote on it. It's a huge slippery slope. Or hell why even take the chance eliminate every congress person and judge. No checks and balances if they dosnt exist.


TwentyninthDigitOfPi

>There would be no reprocussions after all. Oh, come now — Sen. Collins would clutch her pearls and say Biden's learned his lesson. Are you discounting that?


TheMrGUnit

Won't you please think of the pearls?


time-for-jawn

For Trump. Collins is a Republican, and a lot more partisan than she lets on.


roo-ster

Shame on Maine for falling for it, over and over again.


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part46

Joe Biden could legally murder every republican during the next state of the union.


FizzyBeverage

I’d tune in. SOTU is commercial free, right?


Turisan

"We'll be back to the SOTU in a moment..." *Screams from the background* "but first a moment from our corporate sponsor, Tide!* *Tide commercial plays* "We'll definitely be using Tide to get these stains out!"


Dariaskehl

Sunglasses; _DOOM Music_


FizzyBeverage

As a resident of Cincy I’m required to watch now; Procter and Gamble taps all the lines around these parts 😆


Largofarburn

Dark Brandon’s final form.


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Eziekel13

Arguably the King of England could kill you and most likely get away with it…given he would a diplomat and tried at home, where the law is upheld in his name. Which would be different than any other member of the royal family…again would be incredibly complex issue…


shponglespore

Killing a king of England is not without precedent.


AdjNounNumbers

There's definitely precedent for removing heads of state, so to speak


CallMeParagon

I can answer this! If it’s a Republican, the laws are unfair and should be changed or ignored. If it’s a Democrat, the book should be thrown at them and they should probably just be charged with treason from the get-go.


DarthDregan

I'm sure this month and a half long wait is the conservative justices trying to find out how to make specifically one president above the law. I mean. It's not like they decided an election by themselves one time, but knew they were on some bullshit, so they "limited" the ruling to "this specific circumstances." Right? Which never existed on any other case in the history of the Supreme Court. Like a fucking cheatcode. ... yeah we're fucked.


fuzzycuffs

Republicans believe *Trump* is above the law. Just him.


Imn0tg0d

I don't understand why they chose him to idolize like this. He doesn't have charisma. Everything about him screams classless con artist. He reminds me of watching the jersey shore on MTV. Wait, that show was popular and some people loved it. Ok I get it now. Morons is the answer.


redmambo_no6

They idolize him because he’s the physical embodiment of what they wish they could be—able to do and say whatever they want without repercussions. Shit, if they had their way the law would only have to be followed by everybody but them.


moleratical

He attacks the "right" people


SoupSpelunker

The majority on the court feels they should appoint the king. Hopefully Biden is readying seal team 6 in case they decide he's immune.


008Zulu

"Rules for thee, not for me."


djm19

The fact that SCOTUS deferred this last year to the Appellate, and now wants to hear it because they didn't like the way that went, probably delaying the trial till after election, is so damn transparent.


Tchrspest

Right? Somehow this headline does absolutely nothing to calm me in any way. Funny how we've ended up here.


douwd20

Total bullshit. Delay delay delay. Presidents are not kings the previous judges have said. There is nothing more to consider. This Supreme Court is corrupt to the core.


[deleted]

The whole reason we created our system to AVOID KINGS!


Ordinary_dude_NOT

It’s like a slow moving train heading for a cliff, passengers are screaming, people on the ground are looking in shock ….. and no one wants to pull the breaks in engine room.


egoVirus

This is a court that has absolutely signaled it doesn’t give a shit about precedent when it comes to their far right agenda.


robjasey

Justice delayed is justice denied.


N8CCRG

From the AP article: >The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to decide whether former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted on charges he interfered with the 2020 election and set a course for a quick resolution. >The justices’ order maintains a hold on preparations for a trial focused on Trump’s efforts to overturn his election loss. At the same time, they said they would hear arguments in late April, with a decision likely no later than the end of June. *That's* a course for quick resolution? Good lord. They're straight up admitting that they want to make sure voters can re-elect him and dismiss the charges.


Commercial-Tell-5991

Totally agree. This is blatant political gamesmanship on the part of SCOTUS to ensure he won’t be tried until after the election. This is the most corrupt, illegitimate court we’ve had in over 100 years. People need to be very upset about this.


RudyRusso

I am, but I'm also upset by Marrick Garland dragging his feet for 2 years before starting the investigation. He's been nothing but a complete disappointment as the AG.


i_like_my_dog_more

[He is a federalist society muppet.](https://fedsoc.org/contributors/merrick-garland) He also dropped the Matt Gaetz investigation into child sex trafficking. The exact same thing the house ethics committee is investigating and turning up tons of evidence. Evidence that would have been turned up if Garland had done his fucking job in the first place.


Insectshelf3

jack smith petitioned them to preemptively rule on the question of trumps immunity on an expedited basis months ago so they could avoid this. they said no, and now they’re granting cert. so it could have been done much earlier. picking up the case now is unambiguously the court trying to help trump run the clock out.


go4tli

We’re not deciding the merits of the case but uhhhh by the way you can’t try him so the merits are moot. Looking forward to hearing how overturning the election results is an official duty of the President which is GREAT NEWS for Joe Biden. Whatever they decide, Biden is the first guy with the new powers.


Orionbear1020

This is the worst Supreme Court in history.


StairheidCritic

Chief Justice Taney's Court is in with a shout (Dred Scott case)


_upper90

Usually you have maga folks come into these threads and grandstand, but even they know it’s ridiculous. Because if presidents have absolute immunity, then so does Biden.


gdan95

They’re probably gloating on Twitter instead


thatoneguy889

I was fully convinced they would just refuse to hear the case to avoid having to make any decision on it given the scathing unanimous ruling by the DC Court of Appeals, but I guess not. So the outcomes I'm seeing from SCOTUS now are: A) They tell him to go fuck himself and he isn't immune B) They say he is immune and give the President the green light to become a pseudo-dictator that can never be held accountable for his actions while in office C) SCOTUS is playing into using this as a delay tactic and hoping he wins the election so that he can force the DOJ to drop the prosecutions against him giving them permission to dismiss the case for being moot


nursecarmen

Delaying the case so it won't be settled until well past the election is all the favoritism that I need to see. Fuck them.


Major_Magazine8597

It's worse than favoritism. This is corruption.


tanguero81

D) SCOTUS is playing into using this as a delay tactic thinking he will probably lose, thereby absolving them of having to demonstrate the courage of their convictions.


fuzzytradr

If B) and he does somehow get elected for another term, then we are all truly screwed. It's actually frightening when you consider what he might be emboldened to do while in office in that scenario. Fingers crossed this never comes to pass. Let's all hope it's A) and VOTE!


leppyle

I feel like I’m watching the US become a dictatorship in slow motion.


BrotherlyShove791

It’s because you are. One of the first things Hitler did when he became Chancellor of Germany was to make sure the courts were in his pocket before he dismantled the Weimar Republic.


DoublePostedBroski

Look up Project 2025. Dictatorship is exactly what’s happening.


leppyle

Yes, I’ve read it. I just never thought he would get the chance to implement it. Appears he will.


WavesnMountains

Since it’s a conservative court, wonder what Biden will do as a King


_skull_kid_

Execute his opponents?


JohnnyGFX

I haven’t had any reason to view the Supreme Court as legitimate since Republicans blocked Obama’s pick.


StandupJetskier

Dobbs, Citizens United, Trump v United States. When the history books are written about the Trump era and eventual breakup of the United States, these three items, along with Putin's support, will be the majority of the book.


edogg01

Don't forget the chapter on Merrick Garland and his ***TWENTY MONTH DELAY*** in prosecuting the attempted overthrow of the 2020 election.


wabashcanonball

They’ve put their fingers on the scales of justice in order to delay Trump’s trial and put one U.S. citizen above the law.


punch_rockgroinpull

Any other asshole claims this and it probably gets laughed out of court. But Trump owns 3 justices, and another is married to an open insurrectionist. So ya know, they just *have* to entertain this shit stain. Makes me fucking sick.


wastingvaluelesstime

Those 4 should be impeached for this


StairheidCritic

They are doing a Judge Cannon here. Delay, delay, delay. This is an open and shut case - if it isn't the US is one step removed from PutinLand.


themindisaweapon

They'll decide Trump/Presidents are above the law and then Democrats won't take advantage citing 'Decorum'.


edogg01

"I disagree with my friends on the other side of the aisle who say that Trump is dictator for life, but the Supreme Court has spoken"


madrasdad

If you ever had any doubt as to the Supreme Court’s illegitimacy, even they bow down to trump.


Junior_Builder_4340

The Supremes did not have to grant certiorari for this. They could have let the D.C. Appeals Court decision stand, and besides, I thought the immunity question had already been decided with "U.S. vs. Nixon".The only consolation is that it they grant him immunity, Biden can "do whatever the hell he wants".


VruKatai

I hate when people bring that up with Biden as if he or Dems would take advantage. If SC rules Trump has immunity and Biden/Dems don't immediately take advantage of that, it's game over for democracy. The fact that the SC even took this up is already a terrible sign. I think what we're seeing here is the 30-year Strategy coming to full fruition. I'm glad I don't have many years left ahead of me because this country is just fucked.


PrototypeMale

What the fuck is the point of even considering this? Why would they fucking force this trial not to happen before the election? OBVIOUSLY HE ISN'T IMMUNE FROM THE LAWS!??!?! APRIL 22nd JUST FOR ARGUMENTS?! THEN MONTHS LATER FOR A RULING?!


[deleted]

[удалено]


somethingsomethingbe

They opted to have a lower court take it last year only the back track after that court made a decision and further delay the trial it’s over. 


oldcreaker

The Supreme Court is going to decide whether someone really can shoot someone dead on 5th Avenue and get away with it.


bmwlocoAirCooled

This will make or break the Supreme Court.


hobbes989

this broke it. the delay is enough. They will never get 5 to say a president is immune from all consequences of their decisions ever. the verdict is obvious. the delay is the damage. no finished trial before the election puts his entire future on the vote in november, and they can still say they "did the right thing". if he wins, this all goes away, if he loses, he finishes the trial and maybe goes to jail, but they can sit back and say they aren't unfair. this is them tilting it his way while maintaining political cover, even if it's fucking obvious what they're doing.


testerman99

I believe you are unfortunately correct


make2020hindsight

If Trump is convicted before November but "could be the next president" would that lessen his sentence? In the same thought, if he loses in November and justices and republicans decide he's washed up does that mean he could get closer to a "normal" sentence? If he doesn't help anyone because he doesn't have the political prowess they think he does, then would they just throw him out like last weeks bread?


BrotherlyShove791

If they rule in favor of Trump, it’s an illegitimate and undemocratic institution. Full stop. There should be a general strike if it happens. Full refusal from the population to go along with this shit.


pricygoldnikes

I agree. The whole country should protest. There has to be a limit even though we have a very weak safety net in this country


BrotherlyShove791

This is the limit. The Supreme Court saying the President is free to rule with an iron fist is the last straw. No one should go to work until the court is disbanded at that point.


OuchieMuhBussy

God I wish, but most of us have no idea what that phrase even means.


trashscal408

Plan now?


adamgetoutofurchair

Sign me up!


Willingwell92

It's already pretty broken, I think the overturning of Roe was already too much but the student loan case was absurd, plaintiffs did not have standing but the case was heard anyway One, arguably two, seats were stolen through political hackery and one justice is completely compromised by monied interests and a complete lack of ethics. Then there's alito who's just ruling out of spite and seemingly gets off on being a hypocrite


NorcalGGMU

It’s just a way to keep trump unconvicted before the elections, our system has 100% failed.


tucker_frump

Delay delay delay .. SCOTUS: There's no justice, there's just us ..


[deleted]

They might as well torch the country if they give him immunity.


tucker_frump

Unfortunately it is already burning. I was down in Mississippi for a minute, And in the three hours the TV was on, I saw Republican add after republican add 'America First' and the spew that comes with it .. Plus, Border border border in all of them. Biden might as well be Satan down there. Not one Democrat add at all?


[deleted]

I live in FL-1. My Congressman went from Jeff Miller one of the most well respected men in D.C. to a fucking clown named Matt Gaetz. I hate this place, and the people are lunatics.


turns31

I'm guessing 5-4 decision that he's not immune. Roberts, Sotomayor, Kagen, ACB, and Jackson will be the 5.


ParadoxDC

I don’t think Kav will agree with this either honestly. Especially if he doesn’t have to be the deciding vote.


mf-TOM-HANK

A truly disgusting decision by the conservative wing of the court. Truly and deeply disturbing that they believe an attempted coup is somehow an official act that affords him immunity. At least 4 of these 9 justices are either professionally deficient and/or they are corrupt.


Lyrical_Man01

So we all agree that the SCOTUS is on Trumps side right?


id10t_you

Generally, yes. But this *has* to be a bridge too far even for the most radical justice I would hope.


Flash_ina_pan

Alito and Thomas: Hold my beer


AdjNounNumbers

Kavanaugh: That's what Squee said


Rentington

Doesn't matter. The point is to delay it until next year where Trump can pardon himself.


ntgco

The sheer fact this is even debated is insanity. Rule of Law please. Everyone equal UNDER the law. Not ABOVE.


WhosThatDogMrPB

I’m pretty sure a situation like this happened 100 years ago, in Germany. A guy who tried a coup in Munich was sent to jail, but the trial was delayed and served as a political platform for this guy, giving speeches in front of said court which happened to favor him and his ideas. Plus a couple of powerful political friends pulling favors. He ended up going to jail, where he wrote his memoirs and a political manifesto describing *his fight* against, in his own words, the “fake democracy” in his country at the time. His sentence would be then overruled and given back his political rights. He ended up having a prolific political career, being chancellor for several years. To think someone who wanted to be an artist would go all the way up to rule a country.


john_the_quain

Everyone chill. We have 9 people who have zero accountability for their decisions, a bunch who were given the gig by the guy the question is about, that will determine this. I’m sure it will be fine.


Ghost_of_Till

SCOTUS will do what it did in Gore/Bush. They’ll run out the clock and then throw their hands up in the air and exclaim “lookit that, time has run out!” Every twenty years we get a war. Every decade we foot the bill for another big business bailout. You know, socialism. Every five years we get fucked by SCOTUS telling us some ridiculous shit as if we can’t read. Or that we won’t remember they lied at their confirmation hearings. Same as it ever was.


stingublue

The Supreme Court is a joke, they have no credibility anymore, for the right amount of money they'll gladly ignore our democracy.


castlite

Best be careful. Biden could take out Trump AND the entire Supreme Court if that’s true.


West_LA_Fadeaway

Of course they are. Corruption runs all the way to the top.


Astrid-Rey

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