Leftists have long decried the constitutional authority vested in the U.S. Supreme Court, particularly since the three justices added to the bench by former President Donald Trump bolstered its conservative majority.
This week, the backlash hit a fever pitch in response to an announcement by the high court that it will hear arguments regarding Trump’s assertion that criminal charges against him should be dropped on the basis of presidential immunity.
At the very least, the hearing set to begin the week of April 22 is likely to push back the case being brought by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, potentially until after the November election. In the event that Trump wins a second term in the White House, he would have the opportunity to pardon himself of the federal charges related to allegations that he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
If a majority of justices side with Trump, the charges would be summarily dismissed.
For his part, Smith, who has taken steps to expedite the start of the trial, claimed that it is of “unique national importance” to ensure that the case is not postponed.
A number of other mainstream media personalities have spoken out in opposition to the Supreme Court’s decision to take up the matter.
.@chrislhayes: The SCOTUS order "was a clear unmistakable sign from the MAGA majority of the Trump-created court that they are with him. That they are going to use their power to make sure that he does not face trial in an election year for attempting to end American democracy." pic.twitter.com/fgrrP0tEw0
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) February 29, 2024
Slate writer Mark Joseph Smith called the court’s announcement “just plain terrifying,” adding: “The justices are actively abetting Trump’s efforts to run out the clock and evade trial for Jan. 6. In a choice between independence and cynical partisan loyalty, a majority picked the latter.”
Elected officials also joined in on the criticism, including U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who accused Trump of seeking to “deny justice by delaying justice.”
Portraying Supreme Court justices as complicit in that goal, Schiff asserted that there was “no reason for them to hear this case” and concluded that a “president is not immune from prosecution when he violates the law to stay in power.”
Contrary to the California Democrat’s assessment of Trump’s behavior, the former president has not been found guilty of any crime and, in response to the Supreme Court’s decision, reiterated his belief that presidential immunity is a vital component of any presidential administration.
“A President has to be free to determine what is right for our Country without undue pressure,” he wrote in a social media post on Wednesday. “If there is no Immunity, the Presidency, as we know it, will ‘no longer exist.’”
