US Supreme Court Rules Trump Has Immunity From Prosecution For ‘Official Acts’; President Biden Calls It ‘Dangerous Precedent’

On May 30, a New York court convicted Trump on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign, making Trump the first former US president ever convicted of a crime.

On May 30, a New York court convicted Trump on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign, making Trump the first former US president ever convicted of a crime. Published: July 2, 2024 7:44 AM IST By Edited by The US Supreme Court issued a ruling on Monday granting former President Donald Trump some immunity from prosecution, a decision that is expected to delay his trial for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results. The 6-3 split decision, divided along ideological lines, comes just four months before the upcoming election, where Trump is slated as the Republican candidate against Democrat Joe Biden. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, in the majority opinion, asserted that a president holds ‘absolute immunity’ from criminal prosecution for official actions conducted during their time in office. This ruling has significant implications for Trump’s legal battles and sets a precedent for the legal treatment of former presidents. The court stated that he was entitled to “at least presumptive immunity” from prosecution for all his “official acts”. It clarified that there was no immunity for unofficial acts. “There is no immunity for unofficial acts,” Roberts said, sending the case back to a lower court to determine which of the charges facing the former president involves official or unofficial conduct. The three liberal justices dissented, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor saying “never in the history of our Republic has a President had reason to believe that he would be immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate the criminal law.” “With fear for our democracy, I dissent,” she said. Trump’s original trial date in the election case had been for March 4, well before his November rematch with President Joe Biden. On May 30, a New York court convicted Trump on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign, making Trump the first former US president ever convicted of a crime. His sentencing will take place on July 11. President Joe Biden ruling sets ‘dangerous precedent’ President Joe Biden warned on Monday that the US Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on presidential immunity sets a “dangerous precedent” that Donald Trump would exploit if elected in November. “For all practical purposes today’s decision almost certainly means there are no limits to what a president can do. This is a fundamentally new principle, and it’s a dangerous precedent,” Biden said in a speech at the White House. “The American people must decide if they want to entrust... once again, the presidency to Donald Trump, now knowing he’ll be more emboldened to do whatever he pleases, whenever he wants to do it,” he added. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on or follow us on and . Read more on Latest on . Topics