- author, Peter Bowes
- role, BBC North America Correspondent
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Joe Biden has described a Supreme Court decision granting former President Donald Trump partial immunity from criminal prosecution as a “dangerous precedent.”
The current US president said the ruling undermines the “rule of law” and is a “horrible disservice” to the American people.
Earlier, President Trump hailed the Supreme Court’s decision as a “huge victory” for democracy.
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the president has immunity from liability for “official acts” but not for “unofficial acts,” sending the matter back to the justices.
The ruling further delays the criminal case against Trump for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election that gave Biden a victory.
A judge will now have to decide what Trump did in office, a process that could take months and is unlikely to begin before the November presidential election.
“This nation was founded on the principle that in America there are no kings. We are all equal before the law. No one, not even the president of the United States, is above the law,” Biden said in a televised statement late Monday.
“Today’s [court] The decision arguably means there are virtually no limits on what the president can do.
“The man who led that mob into the U.S. Capitol can be convicted for what happened that day. The American people deserve answers in a court of law before the upcoming election.”
Biden was referring to Trump, who is on trial for allegedly inciting the riot.
“Now, today’s [court] “That decision seems extremely unlikely,” Biden said.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, justices will have to decide what actions Trump took in his capacity as president, a process that could take months. A trial is unlikely to begin before the Nov. 5 election.
This is a major boost for Donald Trump and a “huge win,” as he described it on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The Supreme Court has ruled that all former presidents enjoy partial immunity from criminal prosecution: full immunity applies to acts done as part of the president’s official duties, but not to “unofficial acts” done as private citizens.
Lower court judges will have to decide which aspects of the president’s conduct are relevant to the criminal indictment that accuses him of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The Supreme Court majority found that his affiliation with the Department of Justice (DoJ) exempted him from prosecution.
The indictment alleges that Trump pressured Justice Department officials to open an investigation into voter fraud despite a lack of evidence.
The Supreme Court’s three liberal justices strongly dissented from Monday’s ruling, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor saying “the president is now a king above the law.”
Democratic Rep. Judy Chu said the impact of the court’s decision will be far-reaching.
“If the president said in his official capacity that he wanted to do something that we would consider inappropriate and criminal, then he could potentially be exonerated from any actions he takes,” she said.
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision means that the trial — if it takes place at all — will likely be significantly delayed until after the November election.
The ruling also applies to other outstanding criminal charges facing Donald Trump, including those related to classified documents discovered in his Florida home and his alleged conspiracy to overturn his narrow election loss in Georgia.
CBS reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that Trump’s legal team sent a letter to the judge on the matter, citing the Supreme Court opinion. The letter has not yet been made public.
The details were first reported by The New York Times.
The lawsuit is one of four facing President Trump.
