Sotomayor strongly dissented, saying the immunity decision would “reshape” the presidency.
In an impassioned dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor slammed the Supreme Court's majority decision in Trump v. United States, saying in part that the ruling will forever change the character of the American presidency.
“Today's decision to grant a former president immunity reinvents the presidency,” Justice Sotomayor wrote. “It makes a mockery of the fundamental principle of our Constitution and political system: that no one is above the law. Relying solely on its own misguided understanding of the need for 'bold and unflinching action' by the President, the Supreme Court has granted former President Trump all the immunity he sought, and more.”
“I dissent because our Constitution does not exempt former presidents from responsibility for criminal or treasonable acts,” Sotomayor added.
“The indictment paints a grim picture of a president desperate to remain in power,” she added in her opinion.
Biden's campaign argues immunity ruling doesn't change what happened on January 6
A senior adviser to the Biden campaign said today's ruling “does not change the facts” about what happened on January 6, 2021.
“Donald Trump lost the 2020 election in a fit of rage and encouraged a mob to overturn the results of a free and fair election,” the adviser said. “Trump is running for president as a convicted felon for the same reason he stood by while a mob violently stormed the Capitol — meaning he believes he is above the law and will do whatever it takes to gain and keep power.”
The adviser said Trump has “gotten increasingly crazier” since January 6.
“He has promised to be a dictator from day one in office, called for 'throwing up' the Constitution to regain power and promised 'bloodshed' if he loses,” the adviser said. “The American people have already rejected Donald Trump's selfish lust for power once; Joe Biden will ensure that they reject it for good in November.”
It's a complicated decision.
This isn't like a Supreme Court decision, where you know right away what the outcome means.
There will be a lot of reading and explanation to go through before the full extent of the decision becomes clear.
Supreme Court rules Trump has certain immunity in federal election interference lawsuit, delaying trial
Report from the Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that President Donald Trump may be immune from liability in a federal election interference lawsuit for some of his alleged actions as president but not for others, adding a new obstacle to the trial's progress.
In a novel and potentially far-reaching case on the limits of presidential power, the Supreme Court rejected Trump's broad immunity claim, meaning charges could not be dismissed but that some conduct closely related to the core duties of his presidency would be beyond the reach of prosecutors.
More information on this decision can be found here.
Roberts wrote the decision to exonerate President Trump.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion on President Trump's immunity.
This is a complex judgment that attempts to draw the line between official and unofficial conduct.
“This case raises a question of enduring importance: When may a former President be prosecuted for official acts performed while in office? In answering that question, the Supreme Court, unlike the political branches and the public at large, cannot be fixated solely or primarily on the current exigencies of the moment. Our decision in this case is based on enduring principles of separation of powers. The President does not enjoy immunity for non-official acts, and not all of his acts are official. The President is not above the law. But under our separation of powers system, the President cannot be prosecuted for the exercise of core Constitutional powers and is entitled, at a minimum, to presumed immunity from prosecution for official acts. That immunity applies equally to all who occupy the Oval Office,” Justice Roberts wrote.
Protesters outside the Supreme Court
Protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court ahead of a ruling on President Trump's claim of immunity from criminal prosecution.
The second decision is Moody v. NetChoice.
The second decision of the day, released just after 10:20 a.m. ET, was Moody v. NetChoice. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the majority opinion and the decision was passed 9-0.
“Given our unanimous agreement that NetChoice has failed to demonstrate that a sufficient number of its members are engaging in constitutionally protected expression, we cannot accept NetChoice's arguments regarding these provisions. In the lower courts, NetChoice did not even attempt to demonstrate how these disclosure provisions suppress speech on the platforms,” Kagan wrote.
Without explanation, Trump said the immunity decision could have a “bigger impact” on Biden than on him.
In a pre-recorded interview with radio host John Fredericks that aired this morning, President Trump said he thought the immunity ruling “would have a bigger impact on Joe Biden” than on him.
“You know, it'll be very interesting to see what the disclaimer that comes out on Sunday, Monday is going to be, but I actually think it's going to have more impact on Joe Biden than it is on me,” Trump said, without explanation.
Trump has suggested he could prosecute Biden or other political opponents if he returns to office.
Asked what he thought would happen at his hush money sentencing hearing next week, Trump said, “There should be no sentence.” He was convicted in May of 34 counts of falsifying business records and could face a range of sentences, including probation, fines and prison time.
Trump also spoke about Biden continuing to campaign, saying people are saying “we can't get rid of him” but that he could use the 25th Amendment if necessary.
The first decision was in Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
The first decision announced just after 10 a.m. was Cornell Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, a 6-3 decision written by Justice Barrett.
As expected, there are two decisions to make:
There are two boxes containing the decisions in the Supreme Court press room, which is to be expected.
