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submitted 3 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

A leading House Democrat is preparing a constitutional amendment in response to the Supreme Court’s landmark immunity ruling, seeking to reverse the decision “and ensure that no president is above the law.”

Rep. Joseph Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, sent a letter to colleagues informing them of his intent to file the resolution, which would kickstart what’s traditionally a cumbersome amendment process.

“This amendment will do what SCOTUS failed to do — prioritize our democracy,” Morelle said in a statement to AP.

It’s the most significant legislative response yet to the decision this week from the court’s conservative majority, which stunned Washington and drew a sharp dissent from the court’s liberal justices warning of the perils to democracy, particularly as Trump seeks a return to the White House. Still, the effort stands almost no chance of succeeding in this Congress.

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[-] [email protected] 12 points 1 day ago

Nothing pisses off congress more than having to do something and vote on legislation. Supreme Court made an enemy.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

Military must refuse illegal orders... I don't think it's that simple. Maybe if he goes on a one president killing spree, but ordering people to do illegal things doesn't mean they are immediately going to do illegal things, especially when they are not criminally immune

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Problem is not everyone in the military is a constitutional scholar. What happens if part of the military believes it's their duty to follow the President's order (since they judge it to be a legal order) while another part of the military believes it's their duty to not follow an order (since they judge it to be illegal)?

This ruling is laying the groundwork for a civil war.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

We're not exactly more than a couple steps away from the SCOTUS saying that if you can't prosecute official acts, then ipso facto it must also extend to those enforcing the acts.

[-] [email protected] 74 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

The patriotic thing to do for Biden is to go on a crime spree using his newly found immunity. All crimes must be part of core acts or official acts. See how long that takes

[-] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

Dark Brandon is the hero this country needs.

[-] [email protected] 37 points 3 days ago

Seriously, he needs to "no not like that" this shit so far that the Republicans have no choice but to reign in their bullshit.

[-] [email protected] 19 points 3 days ago

How are they expected to prosecute the "Biden Crime Family" if they can't prosecute the Kingpin?

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[-] [email protected] 34 points 2 days ago

This will never happen. You can't get enough states to agree let alone Congress. Getting an amendment passed is near impossible in this climate. The mere fact that a Democrat proposed it mean FOX will demonize it as a threat to america

[-] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

True, but it's still the right thing to do. At the very least it will force some members of Congress to clearly and undeniably declare themselves as supporters of tyranny.

[-] Cethin 4 points 1 day ago

It won't pass, but it does show that both sides aren't the same. It's the correct move even if it's just signaling.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Ranked choice voting can fix that issue as first-past-the-post sucks so bad.

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[-] [email protected] 239 points 3 days ago

Ballsy move. I support this

[-] [email protected] 90 points 3 days ago

I think most people do but there is no way we will see an amendment come to pass.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

They can if they support ranked choice under fairvote us

[-] [email protected] 76 points 3 days ago

At least it'll put the GOPers on record rejecting it.

[-] [email protected] 87 points 3 days ago

Why would they care? They're proud of it. Their voters are proud of it.

[-] [email protected] 49 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I think the Democrats need to do a much larger PSA about what exactly this means. I'm not sure 100% of Trumps cult, or many moderates, would be cool with knowing that Biden right now could have his DOJ lock up basically anyone in the US, with no reason needed, and then pardon them (his DOJ). This would all be actions that cannot be questioned, or used against the President as he has full immunity to:

  1. pardon anyone for anything
  2. command his DOJ

Those are the 2 examples that the Supreme Court majority gave as examples in their "ruling", and they gave both a completely made up unconstitutional condition of immunity that cannot be used against the President, or questioned/debated in any way. These 2 items are a gift to Trump in their hope that he takes the white house and will allow him to round up everyone he wants and put them in death camps if he wanted. He orders his DOJ to do it, pardons them all, and it's all above the law with no possible oversight available. But I think if more people on the right knew that Biden has this power right now, BUT!, if some on the left get their way and they replace Biden on the ballot, and they win, that person would now wield this absolute power.

Edit - Extra words =(

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[-] [email protected] 150 points 3 days ago

IMO the only valid move for Biden right now asap, is to use his new immunity powers to invalidate his immunity powers, as a display of self checkmate.

Declare the full supreme court under threat of death has to go back and redo the decision, and all of them must vote to reverse it and remove the presidential immunity, or be hung.

This of course means "if you dont remove my ability to kill you, you will die".

Its the ultimate display of being handed ultimate power, and rejecting it through the power itself.

I cant think of any other move that makes sense really. It would be a headache in court but thats what the supreme justices get for making such a stupid ass decision.

[-] [email protected] 67 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

As far as I understand the decision (IANAL!), the definition of what constitutes an "Official Act" is left intentionally undefined, so in effect you can only claim this ultimate power if the courts like you in order to declare what you're doing official.

This means, if I understand it correctly, king powers for Trump and nothing for Biden. They'd just rule everything Biden is doing as not an official act.

[-] [email protected] 34 points 3 days ago

The ruling happens after the act. Who knows what justices we’ll have by then.

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[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

There's a difference between having the authority to do something and being immune to prosecution for a crime.

Biden doesn't have the authority to issue an order for summary execution.

If he could convince someone to commit the crime of killing members of SCOTUS, and it was considered an official act of the President, then he might be shielded from prosecution for it, and he could issue a pardon for those that did the deed.

The ruling only benefits a criminal President, and Biden isn't a criminal.

[-] [email protected] 23 points 3 days ago

We are dealing with psychopaths who are itching to murder people and they vow to NOT recognize a free and fair election. VOTE people.

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[-] [email protected] 99 points 3 days ago

Finally someone with the fucking stones to call this fascistic slow crawl out for what it is, we can still stop this. If I'm a single issue voter who's only concern is not wanting to "live" under the yolk of a tyrannical monarch (me, but not single issue), then this has my attention. The clock is ticking, I hate it too.

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[-] [email protected] 47 points 3 days ago

ADDING an Amendment to a Document that the Supreme Court is IGNORING is the PERFECT way to Fix this!

[-] [email protected] 19 points 3 days ago

The SCOTUS will rule the president still has immunity, again...they don't care what the Constitution actually says.

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[-] [email protected] 58 points 3 days ago

I agree with this political stunt to point out the Trump Courts illegitimacy.

The words of the constitution currently have no value to the Trump Court. They just invented Total Criminal Immunity for official acts, and anything said to a government employee isn't admissible in court. In a country founded on the idea no one is above the law.

This court is worse than the Dredd Scott court, they'll just rule up is down and any amendment meant to undermine their decision actually affirms it.

For those arguing that Biden couldn't do the funniest thing ever, I disagree. It truely doesn't matter if they rule it an unofficial act. The purpose of this ruling is to get Trump out of his 34 felonies he's already been convicted of because they used a lot of testimony from administration employees. So as long as that part of the ruling stands, Biden can still get away with anything. How do you convict with no witnesses.

[-] [email protected] 57 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

The constitution even says the president isn't immune and the federalist papers spells it out EXTREMELY clearly for any "originalist" to read.

Honestly the courts should call out SCOTUS on lying and making an invalid ruling that the constitution does not give them the authority to make, then just acting like it didn't happen.

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[-] [email protected] 97 points 3 days ago

The Constitution already guarantees this. SCOTUS is (as it is wont to do) brazenly defying it.

They should spend the rest of their natural lives in small concrete cells for the way they’ve deliberately and maliciously violated & stolen the rights of all Americans.

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[-] [email protected] 33 points 3 days ago

Use amendment 14 section 3 to remove most of the Republicans from office.

Get rid of the idea of judicial review.

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[-] [email protected] 59 points 3 days ago

Do this in tandem with Biden taking full advantage of the current immunity to utterly destroy the Trump campaign since it is a threat to democracy. We'll get that amendment passed in no time.

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[-] [email protected] 47 points 3 days ago

A constitutional amendment implies that the constitution doesn't already cover this when, in its plain language, it definitely does. This provides an implicit concession that the court was right.

Don't give them that. Pack the court and issue the opposite decision at the earliest opportunity.

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this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2024
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