Wednesday, January 10, 2024

No Immunity for a Criminal

In America, is it actually true that no person is above the law, not even a president?

That bedrock principle, so fundamental to our democracy, was the subject of a hearing before a federal appeals court Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

Lawyers for former president Trump argued he should be ruled immune from culpability for his actions on January 6th, 2021, before a panel of three judges.

The judges indicated deep skepticism at the lawyers’ argument and posited scenarios that rendered them absurd. If a president sent Seal Team Six to assassinate a rival, under such reasoning, wouldn’t he be immune from prosecution? Trump’s lawyer fumbled and couldn’t refute that logic.

We may find out whether the court’s skepticism will translate into another legal defeat for Trump sometime soon. Or we may not. The legal process is complicated.

For the sake of our democracy, let’s hope it's soon. Because the authoritarian future Trump promises is drawing closer to reality.

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