The combination of recent Supreme Court rulings on presidential power with the Democratic Party’s nomination crisis in the wake of Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance has significantly improved Donald Trump’s prospects — not only his odds of once again becoming president, but also of enacting a sweeping authoritarian agenda.
Trump’s debt to the six-member conservative majority on the Supreme Court is twofold.
First, their delay.
By waiting until the last day of the court’s term to issue their decision on Trump’s immunity claims, the justices effectively prevented prosecution of federal criminal charges against him before the election.
“By shielding Donald Trump from standing trial before a jury in two of his felony cases,” Michael Podhorzer, a former political director of the AFL-CIO, writes in a post on his Substack, Tipping the Scales, “Trump’s three appointments to the Supreme Court, along with the even more MAGA Justices Alito and Thomas and Judge Aileen Cannon, have already irreparably interfered in the 2024 election.”Second, the substance of the July 1 ruling in Trump v. United States has convinced Trump and his allies that they will face few legal obstacles if they pursue a radical reconstruction of government — a “second American Revolution,” in the words of one loyalist — if Trump regains the White House on Nov. 5.
Persons:
Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump’s, —, Donald Trump, ” Michael Podhorzer, “, MAGA, Alito, Thomas, Aileen Cannon, ”, Trump
Organizations:
Democratic, AFL, Trump v . United, Trump
Locations:
Trump v, Trump v . United States