Garrett M. Graff@vermontgmg:
I wrote a history of Watergate that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize last year. And let me tell you: When Nixon said “if the president does it, it’s not illegal,” no one believed that was true.
All of American history argues the opposite. And yet that’s exactly what the Supreme Court agreed today. The entire test of Watergate was no one is above the law. Today, the Supreme Court made one man above the law.
Sandy Garossino@Garossino:
Just so we all understand, immunity is for criminals
Marty McBecker@IPlayGuitarBad:
It’s petty, but Biden should immediately order the Secret Service and US Marshalls to immediately cease protecting Trump and SJC judges. Freeze any spending that goes to them including their salaries. They want to destroy our democracy, they shouldn’t benefit from our systems.
Scott Shapiro@scottjshapiro:
For those worrying about the scope of impunity that the Supreme Court bestowed on presidents, let me assure you than it will not be applied to Democratic presidents.
Emmett Macfarlane@EmmMacfarlane:
We were all scared of SCOTUS taking America back to the 1950s, and they’ve taken it back to 1775.
Josh Gondelman@joshgondelman July 1, 2024:
I can’t believe the Supreme Court just ruled that the president can sleep outdoors in a public space.
sippin on that @vivafalastin June 28, 2024:
this country is so evil it makes me feel physically ill
Me too. USA’s supreme court is even more evil than the country, with Steve Harper’s Pierre Picklehead fast Satanizing Canadians too.
Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune.
Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune.
Takes a bribe in exchange for pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.
Of course they lied, that’s what lawyers and judges do best – lie and fuck the public that pays their salaries, pensions and expenses. I expect they were well paid to lie before, during and after their confirmation hearings. In Alberta, I’d love to see the secret meetings with judges and law violating AER, Alberta gov’t and the oil, gas, frac, coal and bitumen companies and their “best practices” lying lobby groups like CAPP at Calgary’s (mostly Republican) Petroleum Club.
yvette nicole brown@YNB:
They lied to get those lifetime seats and they should be impeached.
Republican Voters Against Trump@AccountableGOP:
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in September 2018:
“Under the Constitution, the president is not above the law. No one is above the law…The president remains subject to the law.”
ogicInterrupted@BitchieBootie:
Who needs a Supreme Court when we have a king to make all of our decisions?
Because judges love to abuse and fuck the trusting public over. Think of how powerful it makes them feel! It’s their cocaine.
Emmett Macfarlane@EmmMacfarlane:
Yesterday’s SCOTUS decision was a prime example of “judicial amendment of the constitution”. Check out my 2021 journal article in the International Journal of Constitutional Law (I-CON)….
The Supreme Court of the United States stabs American democracy in the gut by Emmett Macfarlane, Jul 01, 2024
The corrupt conservative majority on the Court has ruled today that a President enjoys “absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority.”
I’ll leave this passage from Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissenting opinion, which says it all:
The President of the United States is the most powerful person in the country, and possibly the world. When he uses his official powers in any way, under the majority’s reasoning, he now will be insulated from criminal prosecution. Orders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.
Let the President violate the law, let him exploit the trappings of his office for personal gain, let him use his official power for evil ends. Because if he knew that he may one day face liability for breaking the law, he might not be as bold and fearless as we would like him to be. That is the majority’s message today.
Even if these nightmare scenarios never play out, and I pray they never do, the damage has been done. The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law.Trevor Jones to the above piece by Mr. Macfarlane:
Is it true that the men who wrote the Us constitution gave their President kingly powers because they could not picture a constitutional democracy working otherwise?
And would Canada have done the same if we were constituted 100 years earlier?
Emmett Macfarlane:
No. In fact the US Constitution was written with a set of checks and balances precisely because the founders did not want a kingly president.
Vince Mpls@vincempls:
March 1933 The Enabling Act becomes law in Germany, giving the chief executive power enforce his own laws without checks and balances. The passing of the Act marked the formal transition from democratic republic to totalitarian dictatorship. 6 months later, it was a 1 party state
Karren Brown:
Interesting decision and timing. Most aspiring dictators and their minions wait until they are in power before they change laws. For example Putin waited until he was President of Russia to change the term limits for President to effectively make himself President for life. The supporters of this decision and the 6 SCOTUS justices who made the decision do realize they have given this power to an actual sitting President whose primary duty is to protect the Constitution? Perhaps from them? Maybe groups like the Federalist Society, the Heritage Foundation, those promoting Project 2025 and the degenerate MAGA party should all be a little nervous now they have given this power to Biden. Dollars to donuts there are scenarios already being run. After 50 years in US politics don’t for one second think “Grandpa” Joe is soft or doubt his commitment to the United States and its constitution. King George IIII is suppose to have said at the time of the American Revolution, the people would want the Monarchy back to rule them and that is essentially what SCOTUS has given the people of the United States.
Umair@umairh:
A judicial coup of this magnitude is sort of a clear precursor to authoritarianism, here you have a judiciary laying the foundations for it in plain sight. I doubt america will ever be the same after this
Nathanael Nerode@nerodenc:
I still think it means the US breaks up in civil war.I don’t see how a federal government which is universally considered illegitimate now can run roughshod over states whose governments *are* legitimate.
peace_oceans:
Seismic. This plus Chevron, has significantly weighted power to the judiciary. The branch of govt traditionally viewed as anchored and stable. The whole thing has been kicked over.
Sunita Patel@ProfSPatel:
I only wish Justice Sotomayor had pointed out the racial disparities in unhoused counts. African Americans 13% of general population but 37% of unhoused pop and 50% of homeless families with children. Structural racism prevents Black people from renting, buying homes, etc.
Prof. Farhana Sultana@Prof_FSultana:
This is utterly unconscionable and inhumane. The USA is the wealthiest country on earth yet with a significant unhoused population & child poverty. How the country inflicts pain & punishment to marginalized populations domestically & abroad is horrifying.simple: it’s the raping catholic church in judicial action.
Rob-Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Pink Floyd).@putmygamefaceon:
Heartless Conservatives- ban abortions and then let people live a miserable life
@maryguiden:
It’s all about the cruelty.
Adam@ADAMATION:
There go those “Christians” again doing the good things for humanity…
It’s Me Lisa @leeeeeeeesaaa:
The cruelty continues.raping catholic church in action.
@steve_vladeck:
From Sotomayor’s Grants Pass dissent:
“Sleep is a biological necessity, not a crime. For some people, sleeping outside is their only option. The City of Grants Pass jails and fines those people for sleeping anywhere in public at any time, including in their cars, if they use as little as a blanket to keep warm or a rolled-up shirt as a pillow. For people with no access to shelter, that punishes them for being homeless. That is unconscionable and unconstitutional.”
https://supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf
Jimmy the Geek@BloodwingBD:
Kinda wild you can’t sleep in your car.
Even folks that AREN’T homeless take siestas in their cars. Anyone that does shift work has dozed off in their car from time to time, including the guys that are doing the arresting. Some do it daily.
@Rob_Rainbolt:
They are people who specifically have nowhere else to go, and the courts have specifically said that they deserve to suffer, and that their suffering should in fact be increased. A decision that will be gloated over by our new Christian nationalist overlords.
@ACLU:
BREAKING: The Supreme Court ruled today that cities can punish unhoused people for sleeping in public, even if they have nowhere else to go.
We cannot arrest our way out of homelessness.
Bawn Froning II@beefhusker84:
….how many judges are receiving money from the private prisons?
GrimFandango_206 @motormouth_420:
Don’t forget bribery is legal now too, you just have to call it a gratuity, make sure and tip your judgeCanada’s judges are not much better, notably Harper’s Zionist pro-mass kid killing genocide judges.
***
Qasim Rashid, Esq.@QasimRashid:
This SCOTUS has overturned 40 years of environmental protection precedent, 50 years of abortion precedent, 60 years of Affirmative Action precedent, & now 248 years of limited POTUS power precedent—& Dems still refuse to even try to expand SCOTUS or impeach the Justices. Come On!Dems will do nothing. They and the repuglicans are controlled by Israel and evangelical extremely lunatic anti muslim hate-filled fake christianity. The destruction of democracy happening globally, in Canada too thanks to Putin and Trump’s fucker truckers and Harper’s IDU controlled puppet, Pierre Picklehead, serves Zionism’s take over of the world. Gonna get incredibly ugly, everywhere, cumulatively with out of control climate chaos, floods, fires, extreme droughts and water shortages spreading while MAGA men both sides of the border rape to their cowardly desires. So glad I did one thing right in my life, and chose not to create any offspring to suffer the hideousness of humanity.