National NAACP president calls for congressional constitutional amendment for presidential liability after Supreme Court rules Trump is immune from prosecution for official acts taken as president....By Clevelandurbannews.com, Ohio's Black digital news leader
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Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com
By Kathy Wray Coleman, editor, associate publisher
BALTIMORE, Maryland-This week's historic U.S. Supreme Court ruling that granted former President Donald Trump full immunity from prosecution for official acts taken as president has upset the National NAACP, the nation's most prominent Civil Rights organization for Black people.
The group, highlighting the notorious Jan, 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capital Building for which the former president was indicted and accused of inciting a riot, wants Congress to amend the Constitution and set specific standards for what president's can and cannot do.
"On one of the darkest days in American history, former President Trump sent a violent mob to the capital to stop the peaceful transfer of power in an attempt to overturn a free and fair election, said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson in a press release Wednesday. "Gallows were erected outside the halls of Congress and our representatives were chased from the chambers. Now the man that sent that mob could skirt facing criminal conviction.This sets a worrying precedent for evading accountability while in office. This ruling puts our democracy in jeopardy."
Johnson went on to say the following:
"The combination of the high court's actions and Trump's statements presents an existential crisis for the country. That is a danger, not only to the African-American community – it is a danger to this society as a whole."
The NAACP is calling on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment restoring presidential liability because there are no kings in America. Help us keep the pressure on and add your name in support
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled 6-3 that former President Trump and all other presidents similarly situated have immunity from prosecution for official acts undertaken as president, a historic decision by all accounts.
The case now heads back to the trial court for a determination on what acts by Trump were, in fact, official and not official, opening the door for further appeals and solidifying the prediction by pundits that the former president will certainly not face trial in the case at issue before the November presidential election, a case that centers around his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.
The ruling impacts whether Trump will face a federal trial on four felony counts brought by special counsel Jack Smith, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of an official proceeding, for his alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.
The court, however, made it clear via its ruling that private and unofficial acts by Trump or any other president or former president are open to criminal prosecution and potential liability for illegal activity.
"The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority. "The President is not above the law. But Congress may not criminalize the President’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the Executive Branch under the Constitution. And the system of separated powers designed by the Framers has always demanded an energetic, independent Executive."
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, the most read Black digital newspaper and Black blog in Ohio and in the Midwest. Tel: (216) 659-0473. Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com. We interviewed former president Barack Obama one-on-one when he was campaigning for president. As to the Obama interview. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT CLEVELAND URBAN NEWS.COM, OHIO'S LEADER IN BLACK DIGITAL NEWS.
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