That adage recently yielded to the dictum that Donald J Trump is above it all. On July 1, the last day before the Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) rose for summer recess and three days before the US celebrated its 248th year of independence, the justices delivered an epochal verdict. It was a severe blow to the democratic principles revered in the oldest democracy—it rendered POTUS (President of the US) an emperor of all he surveyed.
The judgement is worth reading-not for the words of the conservative majority of six Republican-appointed justices, who went beyond providing a protective cover to Trump in an election year-but the brilliant dissent from the only Latino justice in SCOTUS's 234-plus years' history, Sonia Sotomayor.
In her scathing dissent, Justice Sotomayor accused the SCOTUS majority of making Trump a "king above the law" for limiting the scope of criminal charges against the former president for his role in the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol and efforts to overturn the election. Sotomayor called the majority verdict "utterly indefensible". She wrote in a sharp language rare from the judicial pulpit: "The court effectively creates a law-free zone around the president, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the founding." Other liberal justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson joined Sotomayor-all three Democratic appointments-with Jackson referring to the ruling's consequences as a "five-alarm fire".
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 10, 2024-Ausgabe von The Morning Standard.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der July 10, 2024-Ausgabe von The Morning Standard.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Trump's Attacker Had Planned To Recruit Afghans To Fight For Ukraine
Wesley Routh has criminal record, posted on politics, donated to Democratic party
Worst Typhoon In 75 Years Brings Shanghai To A Halt
BEBINCA, the strongest typhoon to have hit China's Shanghai city in 75 years, on Monday left a trail of destruction, bringing the megacity with a 25 million population to a grinding halt.
Shah Reaffirms Govt's Fight Against Terrorism
HOME Minister Amit Shah, while addressing poll rallies in Jammu on Monday, said the Assembly polls in J&K is a fight between those who abrogated Article 370 (BJP) and those who are claiming to bring it back (NC, PDP and Congress) and asserted that the Modi government will bury the terrorism so deep that it cannot rise again.
Returning Rishabh Under Spotlight
After missing out on Test cricket for almost two years, wicketkeeper-batter likely to make a return in the first Test vs Bangladesh
Nobel Laureate Slams UN For Silence, Inaction
JAILED Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi on Monday urged the international community to act to end the "oppression" of women in Iran, two years after the start of a women-led protest movement.
7 members enter race to become next IOC prez
THE International Olympic Committee published a list Monday of seven would-be candidates who are set to run for election in March to succeed outgoing president Thomas Bach for the next eight years.
City hearing a chance to clear name or taint their dominance
THE biggest challenge to Manchester City's Premier League dominance was due to start on Monday at a hearing into a slew alleged financial breaches.
ACT hockey: Harmanpreet's twin goals sink Korea; take India to final
SKIPPER Harmanpreet Singh's sublime form resulted in twin strikes as defending champions India entered the final of the Asian Champions Trophy with a clinical 4-1 win against South Korea in the semi-final here on Monday.
From tennis ball to pace sensation: Rana's journey
HE had not held a cricket ball in his hand until he turned 17 but only four years later Nahid Rana started hurrying world-class batters with his raw pace.
UNRAVELLING CHRONIC MIGRAINE IN TEENAGERS
DOES your teenage son or daughter often complain of persistent, throbbing headaches? Parents might easily attribute these headaches to stress, exhaustion, or lack of sleep.