US President Joe Biden said on Monday that the Supreme Court’s decision on Donald Trump’s criminal immunity for his actions as president sets a “dangerous precedent.”
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By deciding on February 28 to take up this question, then by scheduling the debates nearly three months later, the highest court in the United States had already considerably postponed the federal trial of the former Republican president for attempting to illegally reverse the results of the 2020 election won by Joe Biden.
By a majority of six to three – conservative justices against progressives – the Court held that “the president enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts,” but that he “is entitled to at least a presumption of immunity for his official acts.” Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts based this decision on “constant principles of separation of powers.”
The Court therefore refers the case back to the court of first instance to determine which acts are potentially immune from criminal prosecution. The burden is on the prosecution to demonstrate that they are not when they were carried out in the exercise of its functions.
Donald Trump welcomed the “historic decision,” saying it invalidated most of the charges in the four criminal proceedings against him.
In a televised address, Joe Biden denounced a decision that creates a “dangerous precedent”, because the powers of the president “will no longer be limited by law”.
With this precedent, Donald Trump will be “emboldened to do what he wants, when he wants” if he wins the presidential election in November, his Democratic opponent said.
