September 23, 2024

The Honorable Richard Durbin, Chairman
Ranking Member Lindsay Graham
Honorable Members, Committee on the Judiciary
United States Senate
224 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chair Durbin, Ranking Member Graham, and Honorable Members:

The Supreme Court decision in Trump v. United States poses a significant threat to our democracy by effectively providing the president with sweeping legal immunity for criminal acts. The idea that a president should be granted constitutional protection from prosecution for otherwise criminal “official acts” is an affront to the fundamental principle of American democracy that no one is above the law.

The sweeping ruling in Trump v. U.S. is at odds with the text, history and centuries-long understanding of the United States Constitution. The framers specifically designed a Constitution and a governance system in which the president did not have the powers and immunities of a king. That has always been fundamental to what distinguishes American democracy from monarchy and tyranny.

In practical terms, the decision threatens to provide presidents with immunity even for the most egregious criminal actions and assaults on our democracy. As the dissent opined: Under the ruling, if the president “[o]rders the Navy’s Seal Team 6 to assassinate a political rival? Immune. Organizes a military coup to hold onto power? Immune. Takes a bribe in exchange for a pardon? Immune. Immune, immune, immune.”

This decision cannot and must not be allowed to stand, making congressional action imperative. We support Congress’s desire to address the harms of the Trump v. United States ruling, including its serious consideration of measures such as Congressman Morelle’s “Not Above the Law” constitutional amendment, Leader Schumer’s No Kings Act, and Senator Hirono’s constitutional amendment. Congress must reaffirm the principle that, in America, no one is above the law.

Sincerely,
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
Friends of the Earth
Greenpeace USA
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
National Organization for Women (NOW)
Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America)
Service Employees Industrial Union (SEIU)
Accountable.US
All On The Line
American Humanist Association
American Oversight
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
Aunties Coalition
Be the Change Court Accountability Action
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Blue Future
Campaign for Accountability
Center for American Progress
Center for Common Ground
Center for Popular Democracy Action
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Clean Elections Texas
Climate Hawks Vote
Common Cause
Community Change Action
Constitutional Accountability Center
Court Accountability Action
Defend the Vote Action Fund
DemCast USA
Democratic Messaging Project
Democracy SENTRY
Endangered Species Coalition
End Citizens United Action Fund
Equal Justice Society
Field Team 6
Fix Democracy First
Fourth Branch Action
Friday Action
Free Speech for People
Get Money Out – Mayland
Government Accountability Project
Helping Hands Outreach Services
Indivisible
Indivisible Chicago Alliance
Indivisible Hawaii
Indivisible Marin
Indivisible Santa Fe
Indivisible Worcester Maryland
Lawyers Defending American Democracy
Lights for Liberty
The Media and Democracy Project
Missouri Voter Protection Coalition
MomsRising
MoveOn
National Network for Arab American Communities
People For the American Way
People’s Parity Project
People Power United
People’s Parity Project
Progressive Democrats of America
Prince George’s County Peace & Justice Coalition
Project On Government Oversight
Protect Democracy
Public Citizen
Public Wise
Resistbot Action
Secure Elections Network
Stand Up America
United Church of Christ
Un-PAC
Venice Resistance
Voters Rights and Protection Taskforce
Walking to Fix Our Democracy
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
The Workers Circle