The court serves up immunity. The threat of an autocratic presidency soars.

More than six months after special counsel Jack Smith asked the Supreme Court for expedited review, and more than two months after oral argument, the Supreme Court held on Monday what every reasonable American already understood: Presidents do not get blanket immunity for crimes committed in office. However, the right-wing majority put its thumb heavily on the scale, thereby chopping off part of the indictment (i.e. consultation with the Justice Department) and setting the stage for a complex evaluation by the lower court as to the remainder of the conduct (e.g. conversation with the vice president, public statements), which may still be subject to criminal prosecution.