Will Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices rule in his favor on impeachment? History suggests not.
The Supreme Court is expected to be a neutral arbiter, but there's a sense that could be put to an "existential test" in this hyperpartisan era, The Washington Post reports.
Yet, history suggests the Court likely won't split when it comes to legal questions concerning the president, even though there are two Trump appointed justices on the bench. It's not the first time justices have had to deal with cases crucial to the president who nominated them, after all.
The Post notes that three justices appointed by former President Richard Nixon joined the unanimous ruling requiring him to turn over the now-infamous, eponymous tapes in a criminal investigation resulting from Watergate, which eventually led to his resignation. Another justice, William Rehnquist, even recused himself because he had previously worked in the Nixon administration (some people argue the Trump-appointed Justice Brett Kavanaugh should do the same, the Post reports).
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.
Likewise, current Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer ruled alongside their cohort in 1997's unanimous ruling that forced then-President Bill Clinton to answer Paula Jones' lawsuit accusing him of sexual advances. Ginsburg and Breyer were both Clinton nominees, and the decision was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who led the court's liberal wing at the time.
So, partisanship hasn't been a hindrance in impeachment-related legal cases in the past for the Supreme Court. Of course, history doesn't always repeat itself. Read more at The Washington Post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Political cartoons for December 21Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include Christmas movies, AI sermons, and more
-
A luxury walking tour in Western AustraliaThe Week Recommends Walk through an ‘ancient forest’ and listen to the ‘gentle hushing’ of the upper canopy
-
What Nick Fuentes and the Groypers wantThe Explainer White supremacism has a new face in the US: a clean-cut 27-year-old with a vast social media following
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
