In the wake of a recent Supreme Court decision that created a limited form of prosecutorial immunity for US presidents around official acts done in office, Democrats have been scrambling to come up with a way to reverse the decision.
The latest effort comes from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who introduced a bill Thursday called the “No Kings Act.”
No Kings Act
If passed into law, this new bill would ban presidents and vice presidents, both sitting and former, from having immunity from prosecution for alleged crimes carried out in office.
The bill already has gained over two dozen Democrat signers.
MAGA Supreme Court
In an X post announcing the bill, Schumer criticized the Supreme Court as being captured by Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
“Following the MAGA Supreme Court’s disastrous immunity ruling: I’m introducing the No Kings Act. This bill would reaffirm that the President is not immune to legal accountability and remove the Supreme Court’s jurisdiction to hear appeals related to presidential immunity,” wrote Schumer.
No Man Shall Be King
In a follow-up X post, Schumer expanded on the idea behind his legislation: that no man in America should be a king.
“The Founders were explicit: no man in America shall be a king,” Schumer wrote. “But the MAGA Supreme Court threw out centuries of precedent and anointed Trump and subsequent presidents as kings above the law.”
Checking the Court
Schumer asserted that it was the duty of the legislature to check the power of the Supreme Court in making this decision, one that he felt was a grave mistake.
”Given the dangerous and consequential implications of the court’s ruling, legislation would be the fastest and most efficient method to correcting the grave precedent the Trump ruling presented,” Schumer said.
Trump Immunity Case
The Supreme Court recently granted Trump broad immunity from being prosecuted for alleged crimes that are broadly defined as official acts in the case Trump v. United States.
Chief Justice John Roberts who wrote the majority opinion asserted the president is “absolutely immune from criminal prosecution for conduct within his exclusive sphere of constitutional authority.”
Support for the Decision
Many Republicans cheered on the court’s ruling that was favorable to Trump and now complicated the prosecution of the former president in several active cases.
“Today’s ruling by the Court is a victory for former President Trump and all future presidents, and another defeat for President Biden’s weaponized Department of Justice and Jack Smith,” said House speaker Mike Johnson on X at the time. “This decision is based on the obviously unique power and position of the presidency, and comports with the Constitution and common sense.”
Dissenting Justices
The Trump immunity case was decided by a vote of 6-3, which was split ideologically among the justices.
In her dissent, Justice Sotomayor said the phrase which became a rallying cry for Democrats that “In every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law. With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”
Biden’s Response to Ruling
Despite himself benefitting from the ruling as the current President of the United States, Joe Biden was critical of the court’s decision at the time.
“This nation was founded on the principle there are no kings in America, each of us is equal before the law,” the president said in a statement after the ruling.
Online Reaction to Schumer’s Legislation
As one might expect, reactions to the introduction of the No Kings Act were divided ideologically online.
“No Kings Act” I like the sound of that! But isn’t it such a crying shame that it’s necessary to spell out presidents can’t just commit crimes? All because of that weirdo orange sack of crap?” said one X user.
Bill Opposition
Opponents of the No Kings Act and supporters of the Supreme Court decision argue that the ruling merely formally established an already-held privilege by the president.
“As a Senator you have immunity for official acts. Why is it so wrong for the President to have the same immunity for official acts that you and every other politician have?” wrote an X user.
Watershed Moment
As the legislative branch sets the stage to square off against the judicial branch, some are renewing age-old concerns around the balance of powers in the US government that may have deep consequences for the country.
“Schumer’s introduction of the No Kings Act is a watershed moment in American constitutional politics,” said X user Alex Aronson.
