The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 that former presidents have “absolutely immunity” from criminal prosecution for official acts in office.
Wrote Supreme Court justice John Roberts: “The president is not above the law. But Congress may not criminalize the president’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the executive branch under the Constitution. And the system of separated powers designed by the Framers has always demanded an energetic, independent executive.”
“The president therefore may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts.”
The decision sends Trump’s immunity case back to a lower court in Washington, effectively ending the prospect of a pre-election trial.
