US Supreme Court: Presidents Have Immunity for 'Official Acts'
2024-07-02
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1The United States Supreme Court on Monday ruled that American presidents have "immunity" from prosecution over what the ruling calls "official acts."
2The ruling recognizes - for the first time ever - any form of presidential immunity from prosecution.
3The decision was six to three.
4The ruling also declared that presidents do not have such immunity for "unofficial acts."
5The decision is critical to a criminal case against former President Donald Trump on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
6The Supreme Court said the first step is "to distinguish his official from unofficial actions."
7The ruling directs a lower court to reexamine whether the charges are related to official or unofficial presidential actions.
8In a social media post, Trump cheered the ruling.
9It read: "BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!"
10Special Counsel Jack Smith's office which oversees the case against Trump did not provide comment on the ruling.
11Smith's office accuses Trump of four crimes: plotting to defraud the government, blocking an official meeting of Congress and plotting to do so, and threatening people's right to vote.
12The charging document called an indictment, said the former president tried to get Justice Department officials to support his claims that widespread fraud had kept him from winning reelection.
13It said that Trump and others pressured state lawmakers to provide false results through false electors.
14It said Trump pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to block or delay certification of Joe Biden's victory as Congress considered the final vote count at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
15In the months following the 2020 election, Trump lost several court cases in which he claimed he was cheated out of reelection to a second four-year term.
16Before the Supreme Court, Trump claimed presidential, or executive, immunity for his actions.
17He said he acted to protect the integrity of the election.
18Trump's lawyers argued that his actions sat "at the heart of" Trump's "official responsibilities as president."
19The defense said a president would be immune even if they used military forces to murder a political opponent.
20The Supreme Court decision makes it unlikely that the case against Trump will be tried before the 2024 election.
21And Trump and Biden will likely face each other again when America votes on November 5.
22I'm Caty Weaver.
1The United States Supreme Court on Monday ruled that American presidents have "immunity" from prosecution over what the ruling calls "official acts." 2The ruling recognizes - for the first time ever - any form of presidential immunity from prosecution. 3The decision was six to three. The ruling also declared that presidents do not have such immunity for "unofficial acts." 4The decision is critical to a criminal case against former President Donald Trump on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. 5The Supreme Court said the first step is "to distinguish his official from unofficial actions." The ruling directs a lower court to reexamine whether the charges are related to official or unofficial presidential actions. 6In a social media post, Trump cheered the ruling. It read: "BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!" 7Special Counsel Jack Smith's office which oversees the case against Trump did not provide comment on the ruling. 8The case against Trump 9Smith's office accuses Trump of four crimes: plotting to defraud the government, blocking an official meeting of Congress and plotting to do so, and threatening people's right to vote. 10The charging document called an indictment, said the former president tried to get Justice Department officials to support his claims that widespread fraud had kept him from winning reelection. It said that Trump and others pressured state lawmakers to provide false results through false electors. It said Trump pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to block or delay certification of Joe Biden's victory as Congress considered the final vote count at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. 11In the months following the 2020 election, Trump lost several court cases in which he claimed he was cheated out of reelection to a second four-year term. 12Before the Supreme Court, Trump claimed presidential, or executive, immunity for his actions. He said he acted to protect the integrity of the election. Trump's lawyers argued that his actions sat "at the heart of" Trump's "official responsibilities as president." 13The defense said a president would be immune even if they used military forces to murder a political opponent. 14The Supreme Court decision makes it unlikely that the case against Trump will be tried before the 2024 election. And Trump and Biden will likely face each other again when America votes on November 5. 15I'm Caty Weaver. 16Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on VOA News and Associated Press news reports. 17______________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19immunity - n. special protection from what is required for most people by law 20prosecution - n. the act or process of holding a trial against a person who is accused of a crime to see if that person is guilty 21distinguish - v. to notice or recognize a difference between people or things 22defraud - v. to cheat in order to get something 23integrity - n. the quality of being honest and fair