Ex-justice department officials and scholars are raising alarms about the US supreme court’s decision to grant absolute immunity to presidents from criminal prosecution for their “official acts”, warning it puts them above the law and will embolden Donald Trump’s authoritarian streak should he win the presidency again.
The court’s six to three conservative majority decision on 1 July is fueling criticism for its radical enhancement of presidential powers and undercutting parts of the four count federal indictment of Trump over his 2020 election subversion drive.