The U.S. Supreme Court delivered another significant victory for former President Donald Trump in the case brought against him by special counsel Jack Smith, related to the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The Court remanded the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for further proceedings following its July ruling affirming that presidents have broad immunity while in office.
The high court’s ruling overturned an earlier decision by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee, who had denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the case on the grounds of presidential immunity.
“On consideration whereof, it is ordered and adjudged by this Court that the judgment of the above court is vacated with costs, and the case is remanded to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit for further proceedings consistent with the opinion of this Court,” read the document from the Supreme Court, obtained by journalist Julie Kelly. The ruling also states Trump must be compensated $3,232.80 in court costs.
IT IS OFFICIAL
SCOTUS ruling in Trump v US sent back to DC appellate court. Both the DC circuit opinion and Judge Chutkan’s order denying presidential immunity from prosecution vacated.
And Pres Trump gets some money back lol pic.twitter.com/XIZCwiMUpG
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) August 2, 2024
On July 1, the Supreme Court unequivocally ruled 6-3 that a former president possesses absolute immunity for core constitutional powers, but not for unofficial acts.
The opinion emphasized that the lower court must determine “whether a prosecution involving Trump’s attempts to influence the Vice President’s oversight of the certification proceeding in his capacity as President of the Senate would pose any dangers of intrusion on the authority and functions of the Executive Branch.”
“The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official,” the opinion stated. “The President is not above the law. But Congress may not criminalize the President’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the Executive Branch under the Constitution. And the system of separated powers designed by the Framers has always demanded an energetic, independent Executive.
“The President therefore may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. That immunity applies equally to all occupants of the Oval Office, regardless of politics, policy, or party,” it continued.
