‘Above the law’ in some cases: Supreme Court gives Trump – and future presidents – a special exception that will delay his prosecution

Claire B. Wofford, College of Charleston

The United States Supreme Court has handed former president Donald Trump what may be the most favorable legal decision he could have reasonably hoped for in his fight against federal prosecution for his attempts to reverse the 2020 election outcome.

Justices split along ideological lines in a 6-3 decision issued on July 1, 2024, in which the conservative-dominated court declared that a former president has “some immunity for criminal prosecution...