This ‘official act’ distinction seems unhelpful. Most of the really dangerous things an immunised president could do are ‘officials, or at least political. Stealing a billion or two isn’t political and wouldn’t end the Republic. Having 3-4 Supreme Court Justices killed is political, and would.
They didn't need to hear this case and it should have been thrown out. But seeing as SCOTUS has been corrupt since Bush v Gore, I didn't expect them to respect the rule of law here either. Hell, Clearance is owned by a Nazi🙁
"Instead, Americans have become jaded into thinking, correctly, that the law serves best those who can pay to exploit it."
Lawyer here. That has always been more true than most would like to admit, and I see it every day in my practice. Gaming the system works better than playing it straight, especially since the economist judges like Posner started conflating justice with 'optimal' outcomes. The cold comfort I have is that you can still wake up every day and fight - and that's what we need to do with regard to the candy-colored clown ass ex president.
In the beginning of our history on this continent, it was designed to be exploitive. This isn't a judgement, nor condemnation, it's an observation. Since then it has changed for the better in some regards, yes, but for me it always seems the law puts more import on money/property than a person.
We should be more honest about our core beliefs and the smokescreens we hide behind are growing thin.
And sitting squarely on top of this mess is a branch of government to which there is zero democratic accountability. The justices already enjoy immunity from We the People. They were installed through the efforts of a fascist plutocratic organization and are completely unaccountable.
This is a fatal flaw in our government that a constitutional amendment should be drafted to address.
In the Trump era, life is lived through the looking glass, and the Mad Hatter and Red Queen are in full play. A wonderland it is not.
This ‘official act’ distinction seems unhelpful. Most of the really dangerous things an immunised president could do are ‘officials, or at least political. Stealing a billion or two isn’t political and wouldn’t end the Republic. Having 3-4 Supreme Court Justices killed is political, and would.
dear michael,
i appreciate this piece!
i sincerely love it all, and also here are two of my favorites statements from it:
"Legal immunity is also magic."
"I am obviously not a legal scholar"
thank you for sharing!
love
myq
Very interesting what the entomology of the word reveals!
They didn't need to hear this case and it should have been thrown out. But seeing as SCOTUS has been corrupt since Bush v Gore, I didn't expect them to respect the rule of law here either. Hell, Clearance is owned by a Nazi🙁
#humanwhoopeecushionmemorialdayparadefloat
"Instead, Americans have become jaded into thinking, correctly, that the law serves best those who can pay to exploit it."
Lawyer here. That has always been more true than most would like to admit, and I see it every day in my practice. Gaming the system works better than playing it straight, especially since the economist judges like Posner started conflating justice with 'optimal' outcomes. The cold comfort I have is that you can still wake up every day and fight - and that's what we need to do with regard to the candy-colored clown ass ex president.
In the beginning of our history on this continent, it was designed to be exploitive. This isn't a judgement, nor condemnation, it's an observation. Since then it has changed for the better in some regards, yes, but for me it always seems the law puts more import on money/property than a person.
We should be more honest about our core beliefs and the smokescreens we hide behind are growing thin.
And sitting squarely on top of this mess is a branch of government to which there is zero democratic accountability. The justices already enjoy immunity from We the People. They were installed through the efforts of a fascist plutocratic organization and are completely unaccountable.
This is a fatal flaw in our government that a constitutional amendment should be drafted to address.