By The opinion
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled fairly a week ago that former President Donald Trump has partial immunity from prosecution for actions he took during his time in the White House.
Given this situation, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced that he and other Senate Democrats will work to push for legislation to strip former President Trump of immunity which was granted to him under a recent ruling.
Accusing conservative Supreme Court justices of placing “a crown on Donald Trump’s head” that allows him to commit crimes with impunity, the Democratic leader said he is considering a legislative response to last week’s court ruling.
“Democrats will not allow the Supreme Court’s decision to go unchallenged. “The Constitution clearly states that Congress has the authority to check the judiciary through appropriate legislation. I will work with my colleagues on legislation that would classify Trump’s acts of election subversion as unofficial acts not subject to immunity,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor.
The ruling, analysts say, could shield Trump entirely from prosecution over attempts to overturn the election results, which resulted in a mob storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, because it would bar prosecutors from presenting actions related to official conduct to a jury as evidence.
Thus, Schumer stressed that “They incorrectly stated that former President Trump enjoys broad immunity from criminal prosecution for actions he took while in office. They incorrectly stated that all future presidents are entitled to an impressive level of immunity as long as their conduct is ostensibly carried out in their official capacity as president.”
For now, Schumer said senators will continue working on other proposals to “stop the abuse of our federal judicial power.”
Additionally, some Democrats, including Sens. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, have expressed support for adding language to the Supreme Court’s annual funding bill that would require the court to adopt an enforceable ethics code.
While the details of the bill have yet to be determined, there will undoubtedly be hurdles to moving it forward in the Senate, where Democrats hold a very narrow majority in a chamber that requires 60 votes for passage.
In addition to Congress, The White House is reportedly exploring its own options on how to respond following the Supreme Court ruling.
“We are reviewing the decision and will certainly explore what could be done to address it and better safeguard democracy and the rule of law in the future, given this dangerous precedent,” White House spokesman Ian Sams said.
Keep reading:
- What Trump’s partial immunity means and how it could affect the cases and conviction he already has
- Trump asks New York judge to postpone sentencing in Stormy Daniels case after immunity ruling
- Biden condemns Supreme Court ruling on Trump’s immunity: ‘It’s a dangerous precedent’