Supreme Court
author: Brad Spear
posted 02 July 2024 in Religion and Politics
0 comments / tags: Donald Trump, Supreme Court
In the majority opinion regarding presidential immunity, (https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf), the Supreme Court quotes on page 41 and 42, part of the Farewell Address of George Washington, to try to say the court was pursuing an answer that didn’t fixate on “present exigencies.” That rings hollow since the traditional basis for our legal system is the idea that all Americans are subject equally to the law, including the President — this decision effectively removes that.
For a court that claims to use long-established doctrines (apparently more than 50 years) the idea that “no one is above the law” is about as old a principle as we have in the U.S. Even before then, it was a principle of all democracy. The written roots extend back to at least 13th century England with the Magna Carta.
And, perhaps they weren’t looking at “present exigencies” since the Supreme Court majority opinion seems to have ignored the curious fact that the Farewell Address was given when Washington was leaving the office peacefully. The case that prompted this decision is about Donald Trump leaving the office very non-peacefully.
It is clear that anyone who likes Monday’s Supreme Court decision regarding presidential immunity should spend a little time deciding what they want and who they are. Do they agree with the decision and want an authoritarian head-of-state? Have they really considered what it would mean to have a dictator or king who can essentially act on any spur-of-the-moment whim they have? Or do they want to be a patriot and continue the democratic principles on which this country was founded?
Those conservatives who like the decision need to look beyond the ideological rhetoric and see reality for what it is. They need to look beyond the propaganda they have been force-fed by far-right media, and look to the past and present conservatives (even ultra-conservatives) who actually believe in democracy. But I’m not holding my breath for them to be rational.
(Due to personal website problems, the text above was originally posted to Facebook directly. After those issues were resolved, it was copied verbatim here, and the date set to the original posting date.)
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