"Near the end of his opinion in Trump v. United States, Chief Justice John Roberts chastises the dissenting justices for "ignoring the Constitution's separation of powers" and "fear mongering on the basis of extreme hypotheticals" that imagine a future ruled by a lawbreaking president. He might as well have called them hysterical. Among their fears: a world where the commander-in-chief orders the armed forces to assassinate a political opponent or critic,"
"The 6-3 decision in favor of Donald Trump did more than halt the first-ever criminal prosecution of a former U.S. president, who was charged with the first-ever criminal conspiracy to unlawfully remain in power. Roberts wasn't interested in those "present exigencies," let alone in how his ruling might be received by the public or the political branches; he told us he was looking to "the future of our Republic.""
"That future is here and now. And in the parade of recent Trump-administration power grabs, you can find traces of Roberts's thinking from the case. The vindictive prosecutions of James Comey and Letitia James, to name one aftershock of the ruling, can be directly tied to Roberts's hair-raising conception of the prosecutorial function as not apolitical and independent but a blunt instrument the president can reach for without any restrictions."
A recent Supreme Court decision halted the first criminal prosecution of a former president and rejected charges aimed at addressing a conspiracy to remain in power. The ruling emphasizes broad presidential authority over Justice Department investigations and prosecutions, limiting accountability for presidential misconduct. The decision opens pathways for retaliatory legal actions, self-dealing settlements, and weaponizing prosecutorial power. Hypothetical abuses include ordering killings, pardons in exchange for bribes, and using law-enforcement authority to commit crimes that would be criminal for others. The decision reshapes separation-of-powers protections and reduces ordinary checks on executive power.
#supreme-court #executive-power #prosecutorial-independence #separation-of-powers #presidential-accountability
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