Law professor calls Monday's SCOTUS ruling on presidential immunity "earth-shattering"

On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution for official acts while in office.

Stetson University College of Law professor Ciara Torres-Spelliscy tells WMNF’s Tuesday Cafe that the decision is “earth-shattering.”

“The Supreme Court hears it on the last day of hearings for this Supreme Court term. Then they sit on the decision until the last day for decisions to be issued in this Supreme Court term. And we finally got that decision yesterday. It is earth-shattering in terms of the powers that it gives all presidents, including President Biden.”
Ciara Torres-Spelliscy on WMNF; complete transcript below

Listen to the full show here:

Watch this interview:

Also on Tuesday Cafe on July 2, 2024

Former Florida Representative Jennifer Webb represented parts of south Pinellas in the state legislature. We spoke with her about her group called the Sunshine State Unity Network which aims to “reduce violence, bolster the republic and restore faith in our democratic institutions in Florida.”

Transcript of WMNF’s conversation with Prof. Torres-Spelliscy

“I have been writing about Trump’s ongoing criminal liability in my new book, corporatocracy, and I think all of the fears that I laid out in that book sort of came to pass with this presidential immunity decision from the Supreme Court.

“The court gives a new and broad immunity to core presidential powers.

“Yeah, they didn’t go as far as Trump wanted. So, Trump wanted the entire case thrown out, and they didn’t do that, but they helped him enormously.

“Number one, they helped him with the timing of all of this. Jack Smith had originally asked to expedite this case. He knew that this would end up in front of the Supreme Court, and he, you know, sort of pleaded with them, can you please give me an expedited hearing on this? And the court refused. They said, go back to the lower courts. Litigate it there, and then, if it comes to us, it comes to us.

“So he does that. He wins with Judge [Tanya] Chutkan. He wins in the DC Circuit, who both come to the, I think, perfectly logical conclusion that ex-presidents are not categorically immune.

“It goes to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court hears it on the last day of hearings for this Supreme Court term, then they sit on the decision until the last day for decisions to be issued in this Supreme Court term.

“And we finally got that decision yesterday. It is earth-shattering in terms of the powers that it gives all presidents, including President Biden. I said a lot, so let me pause there.”