Sotomayor: If the president decides that his rival is a corrupt person and he orders the military to assasinate him, is that within his official acts to which he has immunity?

“That could well be an official act,” Trump lawyer John Sauer says

  • foggy@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    If I’m Biden, as soon as this is okayed, Trump is dead. Right? I mean, fuck.

    • CaptDust@sh.itjust.works
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      7 months ago

      Obviously, why wouldn’t he? This is potentially the dumbest argument ever heard in a court room and we’re all supposed to sit here and entertain its plausibility. What a joke.

      • Nightwingdragon@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        we’re all supposed to sit here and entertain its plausibility.

        We’re all here because more than one of these judges is entertaining its plausibility. Listening to some of the questions coming from a couple of these judges, there is a very real possibility that they actually declare Trump at least partially immune, leading to the lower courts having to re-litigate the issues again (which would delay Trump’s trials by years), or outright giving him enough immunity to make his current cases go away.

        It’s important to note that this would include the state cases. If Trump were to return to office, he could in theory pardon himself and make the federal cases go away but can’t do anything about the state ones. If the SC were to rule he’s immune, the state courts can’t touch him either.

        Honestly, I think the judges are just trying to figure out how they can rule narrowly enough to make sure Trump walks away scot-free while also ensuring that Biden and other future presidents don’t get the same treatment.

        • eric5949@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Trump was not president for the crimes in NY or the retention of documents AFTER he was president. Of course it’ll be delayed and litigated, but “president is immune” does not make trumps problems go away unless they go “president is immune for the rest of their lives” which is even more insane.

          • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de
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            7 months ago

            unless they go “president is immune for the rest of their lives” which is even more insane.

            Alito pretty much did argue that.

            He said presidents won’t leave office peacefully if they aren’t able to retire to security without threats of prosecution.

        • Bipta@kbin.social
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          7 months ago

          4 justices have to vote to hear a case at the Supreme Court. I don’t understand why they’d ever choose to.

        • bean@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          Why not have Biden just assassinate Trump then? He likely wouldn’t have to deal with a long drawn out court decision. He can be done with it and move on. It’s horrible to consider, but I’m so so so so so so so so so sick of Trump. Everyday I’m bombarded with orange pulp. 😆

          • Serinus@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            Just put them in a jail. And put enough Republican congresspeople in jail to have the majority. And then declare they can leave as soon as a bill is passed making the stupid “immunity” shit illegal.

            You can demonstrate the issues without killing anyone.

    • theprogressivist @lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      I’m sure they’ll frame it in a way where this only applies to Trump, and no former or future presidents will have that ability.

      • teft@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        Same as Bush v Gore

        Our consideration is limited to the present circumstances

        They’ll stick that in their opinion and say that this case isn’t binding on future cases therefore it doesn’t set precedent.

        • MrVilliam@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          That’s a paradox. The only precedent it set was that a decision could withhold setting a precedent.

      • Bipta@kbin.social
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        7 months ago

        If the Supreme Court were to greenlight this, it becomes the only logical choice in terms of preservation of the self and the state…

        My opponent will use this power for great evil, so I must use it first to circumvent that.

    • Asafum@feddit.nl
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      7 months ago

      You know as well as I do that we’ll sit on that high horse of morality, sniffing our own farts, while we get sniped right the fuck off that horse by a Republican who has no issues whatsoever with abusing that power.

    • thr0w4w4y2@sh.itjust.works
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      7 months ago

      If this is okayed then the next government will presumably be the last. So if that’s not Biden then he is comfortable handing over the torch to whomever wins. That doesn’t seem like a particularly nice choice to have to make.

    • KidnappedByKitties@lemm.ee
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      7 months ago

      The bad part is that a normal person wouldn’t order that, and Biden is quite normal. Only the radical MAGAts or worse would.

    • chakan2@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Biden doesn’t have the balls for that…Trump, unfortunetely does (or he’s just too fucking stupid to realize the ramifications of it).