In a 6–3 decision split along ideological lines, the Supreme Court ruled yesterday that former President Donald Trump enjoys some immunity from criminal charges, likely delaying his trial for conspiring to overturn the 2020 election as it will move back to lower courts.
The trial is unlikely to occur before the election in November.
The opinion reversed a lower court’s ruling, stating that former presidents were protected from prosecution for official actions that extended to the “outer perimeter” of their office but not for unofficial conduct.
President Joe Biden criticized the decision, saying the ruling sets a “dangerous precedent” and undermines the principle that no one, including the president, is above the law. Meanwhile, Trump celebrated the ruling, calling it a victory for the Constitution and democracy.
SCOTUS had a busy week
It is not the only landmark decision the SCOTUS made. In the last week, the high court has delivered verdicts that curbed federal regulators’ power.
Debit-card swipe fee ruling
The Supreme Court revived a North Dakota convenience store’s challenge to federal regulators on debit card swipe fees, allowing other businesses to challenge more regulations.
Chevron ruling
The SCOTUS overturned a 40-year-old Chevron decision, reducing federal agencies’ ability to interpret unclear laws it is charged with implementing when laws are ambiguous. The move takes away the power of government agencies like the SEC to make rules. The high court gave that authority to judges instead.
The shift favors courts and business interests, potentially impacting billions in industry compliance costs.
But the SCOTUS avoided a decision on state regulation of social media
The Supreme Court ruled that social-media platforms can protect their content-moderation policies under the First Amendment. Justices avoided a direct decision on Texas and Florida laws restricting platform speech, pushing for further lower court review.