OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D) condemned the US Supreme Court after it ruled that presidents have immunity from prosecution for any official acts they take while president.
The ruling, which dispensed with the conservative Court’s typical deference to constitutional originalism and paved the way for a legally valid coup organized by a sitting president, is dangerous according to Inslee.
“Americans must realize that we can no longer depend on the Supreme Court to preserve and protect the basic functioning of our democracy, one based on the law,” Inslee said via social media.
Inslee went further on Tuesday, saying that the US Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority is a threat to democracy itself.
“Many shocking and disturbing events actually get worse on the morrow. So it is with the Supreme Court’s decision corrupting our democracy,” Inslee said.
Former President Donald Trump hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling shielding him from prosecution for official actions he took as president in the days leading up to the attempted insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Today’s Historic Decision by the Supreme Court should end all of Crooked Joe Biden’s Witch Hunts against me,” Trump said via his social media platform on Monday.
Inslee has been critical of US Supreme Court rulings before, but his Tuesday statements mark the first time he has said that the current justices pose a challenge to the nation’s democratic norms.
