WASHINGTON, DC – Following today’s announcement of new proposals to respond to the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision, Constitutional Accountability Center Vice President Praveen Fernandes issued the following reaction:

Last month, in Trump v. United States, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority created a measure of immunity from criminal prosecution for acts committed by a former president. This vision of presidential immunity is wholly unsupported by the text and history of the Constitution, and poses grave dangers to our democracy and the foundational principle that no one is above the law. The ongoing conversation prompted by the proposals and statements from national leaders, including President Joe Biden, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Congressman Joe Morelle, is an important part of the national response to those dangers, as well as a powerful reminder that it is not only the courts, but also Congress and We The People, who shape constitutional meaning. As this important and laudable conversation continues, one thing remains clear—our nation cannot afford to turn its presidents into kings. The Constitution’s framers understandably feared unchecked monarchical power, and Americans rightly fear it today. The American people deserve better.

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Resources:

Case page in Trump v. United States: https://www.theusconstitution.org/litigation/trump-v-united-states/

Release in Trump v. United States: https://www.theusconstitution.org/news/release-high-courts-decision-on-presidential-immunity-is-too-little-and-too-late-to-ensure-the-framers-vision-of-presidential-accountability/

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Constitutional Accountability Center is a nonpartisan think tank and public interest law firm dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text, history, and values. Visit CAC’s website at www.theusconstitution.org.

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