Even if the justices ultimately rule against Trump, the court’s intervention adds a further delay, meaning his trial will not start for weeks, if not months.
That doesn’t work as a Republican controlled congress and president would then have impunity to perform whatever atrocities they like. It’s a big reason we have a coequal judicial branch.
What if the president detonates a bomb in Congress of finds some other way to kill the members who would impeach the president? Then they can be president for life.
That sucks? Doesn’t change the rules, although I think if a president did something that destructive to the government of the US then the rules no longer apply and we are in military coup treason tribunal territory.
Trump’s whole argument is that there are no limits to presidential immunity. Even after 2 impeachments and a coup attempt. The courts are dragging their feet making a decision. My hypothetical involves forcing the supreme court to rule on that claim on someone who isn’t Trump.
Yeah, it’s an interesting hypothetical. But it’s important to remember, this isn’t Trumps argument, it is longstanding precedent. The president up until now has not been subject to criminal proceedings for conduct in office outside of impeachment. It was long held by everyone in government, not just some party, that the government can be held civilly liable for executive actions but that the president cannot be held personally or criminally liable except to congress. Whether you think he deserves to face criminal charges or not, fact is this breaks from that and will seriously change the way the government functions, it will have far reaching consequences. You may think this is a good thing, Trump argues that it isn’t as has every president before him, but it will absolutely fundamentally change the way the government works if he isn’t ruled to be immune by the court.
Presidential immunity does have limits. Congress is the court that can prosecute him for crimes committed while in office. That’s what impeachment is.
That doesn’t work as a Republican controlled congress and president would then have impunity to perform whatever atrocities they like. It’s a big reason we have a coequal judicial branch.
What if the president detonates a bomb in Congress of finds some other way to kill the members who would impeach the president? Then they can be president for life.
That sucks? Doesn’t change the rules, although I think if a president did something that destructive to the government of the US then the rules no longer apply and we are in military coup treason tribunal territory.
Trump’s whole argument is that there are no limits to presidential immunity. Even after 2 impeachments and a coup attempt. The courts are dragging their feet making a decision. My hypothetical involves forcing the supreme court to rule on that claim on someone who isn’t Trump.
Yeah, it’s an interesting hypothetical. But it’s important to remember, this isn’t Trumps argument, it is longstanding precedent. The president up until now has not been subject to criminal proceedings for conduct in office outside of impeachment. It was long held by everyone in government, not just some party, that the government can be held civilly liable for executive actions but that the president cannot be held personally or criminally liable except to congress. Whether you think he deserves to face criminal charges or not, fact is this breaks from that and will seriously change the way the government functions, it will have far reaching consequences. You may think this is a good thing, Trump argues that it isn’t as has every president before him, but it will absolutely fundamentally change the way the government works if he isn’t ruled to be immune by the court.