Donald Trump Immunity: Lawmaker Proposes Constitutional Amendment After Landmark Decision on Presidential Immunity

The landmark Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity has many legal experts worried that absolute immunity would lead to dictators, especially as Donald Trump has promised he would become one himself and use the office of the presidency to go after political opponents. This has led to a proposal to amend the Constitution so this would not happen.

Rep. Joseph Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, is trying to "ensure that no president is above the law" and sent a letter to colleagues informing them of his intent to file a resolution to amend the Constitution.

"This amendment will do what SCOTUS failed to do - prioritize our democracy," he told the Associated Press in a statement. He would be filing a resolution to amend the US Constitution, which has been described as "traditionally a cumbersome" process.

The lawmaker also noted that former president and convicted felon Donald Trump "must be held accountable for his decisions. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and stand with me on the front line to protect our democracy," adding, "Presidents are citizens, not tyrants."

The Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity came as Donald Trump argued that as president, he has absolute immunity and could not be prosecuted for crimes he did while in office. The Supreme Court partially agreed and ruled that presidents do have absolute immunity, but only for official acts and are not immune for personal and unofficial acts.

Legal experts pointed out that this is a frightening idea as presidents could simply do illegal acts without impunity as they could just claim crimes they committed while in office were just official acts so they would be absolutely immune.

A hypothetical example would be a sitting president running for re-election having Seal Team 6 assassinate his political rival and not be prosecuted for it because he claimed it was an official act.

Supreme Court's Presidential Immunity Ruling a 'Mockery' of the Law, Say Legal Experts

One of the country's founding fathers, Patrick Henry, warned that the presidency must have legal checks and limit his/her power as an ambitious president would not hesitate to crown himself a "monarch."

As The Guardian's Corey Brettschneider noted, "Private acts are not why the question of immunity matters. The most dangerous acts of a president are those that are official."

This can be seen in Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's warning in her dissent. The Supreme Court's first Latina Justice warned that a president attempting to use the military to illegally retain power after losing an election could be protected from prosecution.

What the Current US President Says About Supreme Court Ruling on Presidential Immunity

While Donald Trump is taking a victory lap after the Supreme Court presidential immunity ruling, President Joe Biden was none too happy, noting that the decision was a blow to Democracy and the rule of law.

"This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America. Each, each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law. Not even the president of the United States," he said. "It's a dangerous precedent, because the power of the office will no longer be constrained by the law, the only limits will be self-imposed by the president alone."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Analysis of Supreme Court's decision on Trump immunity case - CBS Mornings