‘The real scandal is that Trump is able to run again thanks to an indulgent Supreme Court’ – Technologist

The problem with the American election in November is not the age of the captain. Admittedly, Democrat Joe Biden’s entourage should have known better and acted accordingly: At 81, the incumbent president is not the ideal age for a second term. But the real scandal is that Donald Trump is able to run again thanks to an indulgent Supreme Court.

The 78-year-old Republican candidate attempted a legal-political takeover on January 6, 2021. He is the perpetrator of a kind of putsch. From the November 2020 election, when Biden beat him outright, through January 6, 2021, Trump got his supporters riled up. He refused to accept the results of the election, confirmed on all sides. He organized his “coup d’état” through lies: He had supposedly been “robbed” of victory; the certification of the result by Congress, scheduled for January 6, had to be prevented; on that day, they would “march on the Capitol.” We know the rest of the story.

Since then, the system has had three years to investigate and then judge. The famous “institutions” that are supposed to protect American democracy were faced with an urgent situation: Between two elections, they had to rule on Trump’s responsibility for the events of January 6, 2021. But also on the golden-haired Republican’s illegal possession of secret documents at the end of his presidential term (2016-2020). But also on his attempt to rig the numbers for the November 2020 election in the state of Georgia.

In all three of these cases, which go to the heart of how the rule of law works, Trump has been criminally indicted. But there most likely will not be a trial before the November 5 vote. Voters won’t know the truth about the former reality TV star’s guilt. The “system” has failed. The huckster in the red cap can run again. He’ll pardon himself if he returns to the White House. What happened?

A shattering decision

Whether by design or in good faith, the Supreme Court has facilitated Trump’s candidacy. The nine guardians of the Constitution – six conservatives, three centrists – agreed to rule on a petition from the Florida golfer’s lawyers.

Trump’s attorneys say that he was still president on January 6, 2021, and, as such, enjoyed the immunity attached to the office. Called upon to decide, an appeals court delivered its verdict in February 2024: No special judicial immunity for the occupant of the White House. No one is above the law.

Referred to in turn, the Supreme Court chose to agree to consider Trump’s request. In so doing, it de facto delayed any possibility of a trial. It legitimized the former president’s candidacy even before he could be tried for January 6, 2021. But the Court – four women, five men – went much further. In its decision on Monday, July 1, it ruled in Trump’s favor. It interpreted the Constitution to grant the president broad judicial immunity to ensure an “energetic (…) executive”. After leaving the White House, he need not fear being dragged before the courts.

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