MAGA's Supreme Court Redefines Democracy
The Supreme Court is shielding Trump from prosecution and implementing his extreme agenda.
“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. Moving forward, however, all former Presidents will be cloaked in such immunity. If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop. With fear for our democracy, I dissent.” - Justice Sonia Sotomayer.
When a Supreme Court Justice writes the words “with fear for our democracy, I dissent,” we better pay attention.
Yesterday, the Supreme Court overthrew a central premise of our democracy by granting the President status above the law. Donald Trump’s MAGA justices decided that the president has “absolute immunity” from prosecution for crimes committed as “official acts.” Even more brazen, they essentially placed the Executive branch under the control of the Judicial branch by giving itself the power to decide what is “official” and what is not. Any action a president takes is subject to Supreme Court rule to determine if it qualifies for criminal prosecution. Does anyone think this court would judge President Biden’s actions under the same criteria as Donald Trump?
This is an unprecedented power grab, weakening our constitution and giving immense power to the president. All done while a convicted felon, who has promised to be a dictator on day one, who has a history of abusing his power over our allies and is currently facing two indictments for attempting to overturn the 2020 election, is running for president.
Democracy-altering decision aside, this ruling has a more immediate impact. By delaying when they heard the case and how long it took them to issue their ruling, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court delayed any chance of a trial occurring before the November election. Official acts or not, this has effectively granted him full immunity for his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
So, how should we talk about this?
Messaging
Here is the bottom line: Donald Trump’s MAGA Supreme Court is coming after your rights and liberty.
The Supreme Court seems to be the front line for shielding Donald Trump from accountability and instituting Project 2025. We need to highlight how extreme this court is and the personal impact of its rulings. In addition, we need to remind people that Donald Trump did this. These are his judges, protecting him and implementing his extreme agenda.
Here is a quick recap of their extreme agenda:
Allowed South Carolina to continue racial gerrymandering.
Overturned a ban on bump stocks, which turn guns into semiautomatic weapons, increasing the likelihood of more mass shootings.
Made homelessness illegal by allowing cities to prosecute sleeping outdoors.
Limited the power of federal agencies by overturning Chevron Deference. This will make it harder to regulate Wall Street corruption and protect our environment from big oil.
Sided with January 6 rioters by ruling prosecutors can’t use the federal obstruction statute to charge him.
Granted Trump immunity from prosecution for his efforts to overturn the election and made it easier for him to commit more crimes as president.
We need to continue to remind people about the impact of Donald Trump’s Supreme Court Dobbs decision overturning Roe v Wade:
We need to remind people how extreme this recent immunity ruling was:
We need to give people hope for the future and show what is at stake in this election:
The stakes couldn’t be more clear. The next president may select three Supreme Court justices. If Joe Biden wins the presidency he could alter the balance of the court. If Trump wins, he will lock in a MAGA majority for generations.
With fear for our democracy, it is time to get to work.
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