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Supreme Court live updates: Trump, Biden campaign react to SCOTUS immunity ruling
Trump called the ruling a "BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY."
The Supreme Court on Monday handed down a historic decision on whether a former president is shielded from criminal liability for "official acts" taken while in the White House.
The Supreme Court rejected former President Donald Trump's sweeping claim of "absolute" immunity from criminal prosecution for "unofficial acts" but granted some protections for former presidents for official acts taken while in the White House.
Trump aimed to secure such immunity to try to quash the federal election subversion prosecution brought by special counsel Jack Smith. Smith charged Trump with four felony counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, over his efforts to hold onto power after his 2020 election loss. Trump pleaded not guilty and has denied any wrongdoing.
Latest headlines:
Special counsel Jack Smith declines to comment
Special counsel Jack Smith's office declined to comment on the Supreme Court ruling, a spokesperson told ABC News.
The court's ruling will affect whether former President Donald Trump faces a federal trial this year on four felony counts brought by Smith, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of an official proceeding, for his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.
-ABC News' Alexander Mallin
Trump reacts to SCOTUS ruling
Former President Donald Trump released a statement about the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision in a post on his social media platform.
"BIG WIN FOR OUR CONSTITUTION AND DEMOCRACY. PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!" Trump wrote on Monday morning.
Biden campaign reacts to SCOTUS ruling
A senior Biden campaign advisor released a statement about the court's ruling on immunity, stating "Today’s ruling doesn’t change the facts, so let’s be very clear about what happened on January 6: Donald Trump snapped after he lost the 2020 election and encouraged a mob to overthrow the results of a free and fair election."
The campaign argued that Trump "thinks he’s above the law and is willing to do anything to gain and hold onto power for himself."
-ABC News' Selina Wang
Supreme Court rules president has no immunity for unofficial acts
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on the immunity case against former President Donald Trump stating, "The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official.
The ruling, in which all of the liberal justices dissented, added, "The President is not above the law. But under our system of separated powers, the President may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for his official acts."
'Disturbing': What legal experts had to say about immunity arguments
When the justices appeared open to the idea of some level of immunity for former presidents, it was a shock for many veteran court observers.
"It was surprising to hear, at least from some of the justices, the possibility that a president could somehow commit criminal misconduct for which they could never be held liable in court," said constitutional law expert Michael Gerhardt. "I think that has struck many people as just, up until now, inconceivable."
One point that stood out to Gerhardt was when Justice Elena Kagan pressed Trump attorney John Sauer if a president could order the military to stage a coup and be immune. Sauer said, in their view, a president could.
"The answer that she got was one of the most disturbing I've ever heard at the Supreme Court," he said.
Read more about reaction to the April arguments here.
