Law-Free Zone

07/16/24 • 37 min

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The concept of presidential immunity is not explicitly stated anywhere in the Constitution. That hasn’t stopped the Supreme Court from essentially creating what Justice Sonia Sotomayor called "a law-free zone around the President."

What does this mean for the criminal cases against former President Trump? And what are the implications for the office of the presidency?

Note: this episode was recorded before the assassination attempt on President Trump.

What does this mean for the criminal cases against former President Trump? And what are the implications for the office of the presidency?

Note: this episode was recorded before the assassination attempt on President Trump.

Previous Episode

The Disqualification Clause

In the aftermath of the Civil War, the Disqualification Clause was adopted to ensure that former officials and soldiers in the Confederacy would be barred from serving in public office.

And for the first time in 153 years, an elected official has been disqualified for future office for his role in an insurrection: a New Mexico county commissioner who marched to the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Voters have filed lawsuits against Trump, arguing that the former president’s role in inciting his followers to disrupt the election certification makes him an insurrectionist, and therefore, disqualified from becoming president again. What does all this mean for Trump and his 2024 presidential candidacy?

Next Episode

Farfetched Arguments

After an unprecedented several weeks in politics, some on the right are advancing far-fetched arguments to challenge Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, and a federal judge in Florida threw out the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump.

Neither of these are based on established constitutional precedent.