The US Supreme Court has said Donald Trump and other former presidents are partially immune from criminal prosecution, in a major legal victory for the Republican White House candidate.
The 6-3 ruling did not outright dismiss an indictment that charges Trump with plotting to overturn the 2020 election, but it did strip away key elements of the case against him.
The justices found that a president has immunity for “official acts”, but is not immune for “unofficial acts”, and referred the matter back to a trial judge.
The three liberal justices dissented strongly, expressing “fear for our democracy”.
“The President is now a king above the law,” wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
The decision makes it less likely that the Republican candidate will stand trial in the case before he challenges Democratic President Joe Biden in November’s White House election.
It is the first time since the nation’s founding that the Supreme Court has declared former presidents can be shielded from criminal charges.
Trump is the first president ever to be criminally prosecuted, as Chief Justice John Roberts noted while delivering Monday’s opinion.
The US Supreme Court has said Donald Trump and other former presidents are partially immune from criminal prosecution, in a major legal victory for the Republican White House candidate.
The 6-3 ruling did not outright dismiss an indictment that charges Trump with plotting to overturn the 2020 election, but it did strip away key elements of the case against him.
The justices found that a president has immunity for “official acts”, but is not immune for “unofficial acts”, and referred the matter back to a trial judge.
The three liberal justices dissented strongly, expressing “fear for our democracy”.
“The President is now a king above the law,” wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
The decision makes it less likely that the Republican candidate will stand trial in the case before he challenges Democratic President Joe Biden in November’s White House election.
It is the first time since the nation’s founding that the Supreme Court has declared former presidents can be shielded from criminal charges.
Trump is the first president ever to be criminally prosecuted, as Chief Justice John Roberts noted while delivering Monday’s opinion.