Supreme Court Rules Trump Has Immunity for Official Acts

Former President Donald Trump is immune from federal prosecution for constitutional official acts he took while serving as President, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

The Details: Trump, however, would not be immune for acts taken as a private citizen. The vote was split 6-3 along ideological lines, with all six conservative justices, three of whom Trump appointed, voting in favor of the immunity. The decision nullifies a previous ruling from a federal appeals court that concluded Trump would not be immune from criminal charges related to an alleged scheme in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.

For Context: Trump is the first former president to be criminally prosecuted, and this is the first time the Supreme Court has ruled on whether a president could be liable for official actions taken while in office. On May 30, a Manhattan jury found Trump guilty of illegally falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to an adult actress before the 2016 election.

Key Quote: The ruling reads: “The nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts.”

How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum described the case as a landmark ruling and noted that Trump is the first to face criminal prosecution.