What happened
The Supreme Court's conservative majority, after nearly three hours of oral arguments Thursday, appeared unlikely to give former President Donald Trump the "kind of get-out-of-jail free card" he is seeking in special counsel Jack Smith's 2020 election subversion case, Politico said. But a majority of justices seemed ready to enshrine some level of presidential immunity and send the case back to lower courts for time-consuming parsing of "official" versus personal presidential actions.
Who said what
This case has "huge implications" for the "future of the presidency" and the country, said Justice Brett Kavanaugh. "We are writing a rule for the ages," Justice Neil Gorsuch said. The "framers did not put an immunity clause into the Constitution," said Justice Elena Kagan. "Not so surprising — they were reacting against a monarch who claimed to be above the law." Telling "the most powerful person in the world" there is "no potential penalty for committing crimes" could turn "the Oval Office into the seat of criminality," said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The commentary
The conservative justices seem poised to give Trump "what he most desires in the case: further delays," Ronald Brownstein said at The Atlantic. People who went into Thursday's hearing "wishing to preserve a preelection trial against Trump" emerged "hoping that the court doesn't eviscerate the possibility of criminal consequences for any president who breaks the law."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The court's ruling is expected by the end of June.
-
Could Trump run for a third term?The Explainer Constitutional amendment limits US presidents to two terms, but Trump diehards claim there is a loophole
-
Political cartoons for November 28Cartoons Friday's political cartoons include economic diagnosis, climate distractions, and more
-
What does the fall in net migration mean for the UK?Today’s Big Question With Labour and the Tories trying to ‘claim credit’ for lower figures, the ‘underlying picture is far less clear-cut’
-
Could Trump run for a third term?
The Explainer Constitutional amendment limits US presidents to two terms, but Trump diehards claim there is a loophole
-
Trump’s Ukraine peace talks advance amid leaked callSpeed Read Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is set to visit Russia next week
-
Memo signals Trump review of 233k refugeesSpeed Read The memo also ordered all green card applications for the refugees to be halted
-
Pentagon targets Kelly over ‘illegal orders’ videoSpeed Read The Pentagon threatened to recall Kelly to active duty
-
Judge tosses Trump DOJ cases against Comey, JamesSpeed Read Both cases could potentially be brought again
-
X’s location update exposes international troll industryIn the Spotlight Social media platform’s new transparency feature reveals ‘scope and geographical breadth’ of accounts spreading misinformation
-
Tariffs: Will Trump’s reversal lower prices?Feature Retailers may not pass on the savings from tariff reductions to consumers
-
Trump: Is he losing control of MAGA?Feature We may be seeing the ‘first meaningful right-wing rebellion against autocracy of this era’
