See below for some reactions – including by Virginia politicians – to this morning’s horrendous ruling by 6 far-right Supreme Court Justices regarding the president supposedly having “absolute immunity” for “official acts,” however the hell those are defined.
First, as Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA11) puts it:
“American democracy is under homegrown attack. The Supreme Court has yet again intervened to protect Donald J. Trump – a convicted felon, adjudicated rapist, and twice-impeached former President. This is a shameful decision, and one that will haunt us for years to come.”
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA08) also nails it, writing that this was an “awful and dangerous ruling…that corrupts and fundamentally alters the constitutional order designed by our Founders.”
Sen. Tim Kaine weighs in on the “dangerous Supreme Court ruling” which “undermines a fundamental tenet of our democracy: that no one is above [the] law.”
Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04) says SCOTUS decision “sets a dangerous precedent for the future of our nation, eviscerates our system of checks and balances, and disregards the structural vision set forth by the Founders in the U.S. Constitution. It is a blatant threat to the very fabric of our democracy.”
Democratic lawyer Marc Elias warns that after this horrible ruling, “We are in real danger,” as Trump could, if reelected, “assassinate his political opponents as long as he cited a statute or constitutional provision for doing so.”
“Justice Sotomayor’s dissent is one of the most terrified and terrifying pieces of judicial writing I’ve ever encountered” – Mark Joseph Stern
“Justice Sotomayor’s dissent warning is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a Supreme Court opinion.” – Neal Katyal
And no, as the brilliant Judd Legum notes, this is NOT a joke – “The Supreme Court just ruled that if the President ordered Seal Team 6 to assassinate his political opponent, he would be immune from criminal prosecution.” Essentially, the Supreme Court just gave Trump – if he’s elected president in November – “carte blanche…to do whatever he wants.” Shuddddderrr…
“Angry Staffer” says, correctly, that “this is an existential crisis,” with the very “survival of our nation as we know it…on the ballot.” Bottom line: “If you don’t vote blue in November, we are in for decades of democracy-altering opinions like this one.”
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says this Supreme Court decision, by six “extreme, far-right justices,” “sets a dangerous precedent for the future of our nation.”
The stakes in the November election couldn’t be higher:
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