Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will introduce legislation Thursday reaffirming that presidents do not have immunity for criminal actions, an attempt to reverse the Supreme Courtā€™sĀ landmark decisionĀ last month.

Schumerā€™s No Kings Act would attempt to invalidate the decision by declaring that presidents are not immune from criminal law and clarifying that Congress, not the Supreme Court, determines to whom federal criminal law is applied.

The courtā€™s conservative majority decided July 1 that presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken within their official duties ā€” a decision that threw into doubt the Justice Departmentā€™s case against Republican former President Donald Trump forĀ his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Schumer, of New York, said that Congress has an obligation and the constitutional authority to check the Supreme Court on its decision.

  • LesserAbe@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    You donā€™t need to convince me. Iā€™m talking about gathering critical support for something like a constitutional amendment. Nothing wrong with passing a bill first. Amendments are hard.

    • Hegar@fedia.io
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      5 months ago

      It would add further pressure on top of all the previous examples of open corruption, for sure.

      • LesserAbe@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Remember you need two thirds of both chambers to pass an amendment, followed by three fourths of states. In our current environment thatā€™s nearly impossible. We should be throwing everything at the wall, and if one thing is rejected, that may sway people who havenā€™t been tuned in, which could be crucial in applying further action.

        Thereā€™s also value in doing fucking anything. Why should people support a party that wonā€™t fight for whatā€™s important? I refuse to just complain, or to accept hopelessness. I expect that something will be done, and Iā€™m going to vote and act accordingly.