Sotomayor calls for reversal of presidential immunity ruling
Justice Sotomayor expresses hope Supreme Court will reverse its recent presidential immunity ruling.
(Photo via The Hill)
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated on Saturday that she hopes the high court will eventually overturn its 2024 ruling that granted former presidents broad criminal immunity. The justice made the comments during a civics education discussion held at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate.
The 2024 decision, issued in the case of Trump v. United States, established that former presidents have absolute immunity for actions taken within their core constitutional authority and at least presumptive immunity for other official acts. The court ruled 6–3 in favor of the immunity protections.
Sotomayor, who was among the three dissenting justices in the 2024 case, argued at the time that the ruling effectively placed the president above the law. During her appearance at the Mount Vernon event, which commemorated the 250th anniversary of the United States, she expressed her desire for the court to reconsider its past actions.
Addressing the audience, Sotomayor noted that she dissents frequently and expressed a hope that the court would correct what she described as some of the crazy things it has done. She specifically identified the immunity decision as one of the opinions she hopes to see overturned within her lifetime.