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19 July 2024 / Michael Zander KC
Issue: 8080 / Categories: Features , Profession , International , Public
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Insurrection & court intervention Pt 3

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Michael Zander KC on Trump v United States
  • The majority held that the president could not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers and was entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all other official acts.

The US Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on presidential immunity has raised serious alarm. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in a powerful dissent joined by Justices Kagan and Jackson, warned: ‘Under the majority’s rule, a President’s use of any official power for any purpose, even the most corrupt, is immune from prosecution.’ She ended: ‘With fear for our democracy, I dissent.’

The court said that the president was not above the law, but deprived that statement of most of its content both by the width of what it said was covered by immunity and by how it narrowed the path for a prosecutor.

The government argued that a president enjoyed no immunity whatever from criminal prosecution. Trump argued that just as a president had been held to enjoy absolute immunity from

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Ward Hadaway—Nicola Williams

Ward Hadaway—Nicola Williams

Specialist tax expertise expands with partner appointment

Howard Kennedy—Caroline Urban

Howard Kennedy—Caroline Urban

Firm strengthens corporate and capital raising specialism with partner hire

Payne Hicks Beach—Lucas Moore

Payne Hicks Beach—Lucas Moore

Commercial disputes partner succeeds Robert Brodrick as chair of management board

NEWS
Global mobility is transforming family law, creating new challenges around jurisdiction, assets and child arrangements
The civil justice landscape could be heading for a shake-up, with reform of the Solicitors Act 1974 gathering pace
Employers are being urged to prepare now for far-reaching employment law changes taking effect in January 2027
As family structures evolve, the law may face difficult questions about inheritance rights for those in polyamorous relationships
A series of procedural developments could have significant practical consequences for litigators. Writing in NLJ this week, columnist Stephen Gold highlights important updates ranging from digital court reforms to family procedure and admissions of liability
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