(RightWing.org) – Former President Donald Trump has claimed for years that his actions while in office were covered under presidential immunity. He contested that belief in court after he was charged with multiple felonies related to the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021 riot at Capitol Hill.
The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court, which issued its decision on the matter on Monday, July 1. Now, one Democratic lawmaker unhappy with the decision has outlined a plan to impeach justices on the high court.
The Decision
On Monday, July 1, the SCOTUS released its long-awaited decision on whether Trump’s actions were covered by presidential immunity. In essence, the ruling was a non-decision in most respects. The majority opinion noted that a president’s “official acts” are protected from prosecution, but personal acts are not.
The court stopped short of ruling whether Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021, were protected. Instead, it returned the case to the lower court to determine which actions were taken in the name of the office and which were not. That will make it clear to prosecutors what they can charge Trump for, if anything.
The former president heralded the decision as a win and fully expects that the cases against him will be dismissed.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Wants to Impeach Justices
Following the decision, Democrats were in an uproar. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)(D-NY) announced that she planned to introduce articles of impeachment against the SCOTUS justices. In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, she said the nation’s high court “has become consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control,” and that its ruling in Trump v. United States was an “assault on Democracy.”
AOC can certainly introduce the articles of impeachment. Congress is allowed to carry out checks on the power of the judicial branch. However, her actions are unlikely to get very far. Though she hasn’t named any specific justices, it’s likely to be Conservatives under fire. The House currently has a Republican majority, however slim, and isn’t likely to go along with impeaching any of them.
Only one Supreme Court justice, Samuel Chase, has ever been impeached on grounds of refusing to dismiss biased jurors and excluding critical witnesses. He was acquitted during a Senate trial and allowed to remain on the court for seven more years until his death in 1811.
Another lawmaker, Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-NY), said he planned to take action as well, by introducing legislation to overturn the SCOTUS decision, one of the only measures that could actually work. Like AOC, however, he faces an uphill battle that’s likely to go nowhere.
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