George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said Tuesday that Judge Juan Marchan’s refusal to overturn President-elect Donald Trump’s conviction has undermined media coverage of the Supreme Court’s immunity decision. he claimed.
Marchan on Monday night asked Trump’s lawyers to dismiss the president-elect’s 34 convictions for allegedly falsifying business records to cover up $130,000 in hush money paid to former porn actress Stormy Daniels. refused. Turley said the decision contradicts media panic over the Supreme Court’s July ruling that presidents cannot be prosecuted for official acts committed while in office.
“[Merchan] This decision is truly iron-clad. “First of all, this was not an official act, and even if it were an official act, it would not have been protected,” Turley said. “If it was protected and evidence came in that shouldn’t have come in, it was all a harmless mistake. So these three If he chooses one of the two, he’s still fine. This is an opinion that’s likely to gain support from some people at the appellate level. What’s interesting about this opinion is that many people in the media don’t. This actually contradicts what he has been saying for months. Mr. Machan has filed this lawsuit considering that the Supreme Court’s decision grants blanket immunity and that it is a ‘death sentence.’ There was no difficulty in finding possible exceptions.
“So many justices will probably agree with this result, although not necessarily all of Judge Marchand’s reasoning, but we’ll have to wait and see. “We have argued and will continue to argue in the appellate court,” Turley continued.
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left wing media And Democrats feared that the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling would allow President Trump and future presidents to commit any crimes with impunity. Their concerns echoed a dissenting opinion by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who said the court had created a “lawless zone” for the president, who is now “insulated from criminal prosecution.” (Related: ‘Get rid of Trump’: Leftists fantasize that Biden has ‘immunity’ for Trump assassination, SCOTUS judge)
In November, Mr. Bragg, who prosecuted Mr. Trump in the case, suggested that Mr. Marchand postpone sentencing until the next president leaves office in January 2029. Turley said the idea of ​​waiting until after Trump’s presidential term for sentencing is a “horrible idea.” It can have negative consequences for the nation and the legal system.
Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump on four counts in August 2023 for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election on January 6, 2021. Trump’s lawyers tried to have the lawsuit dismissed on the grounds that the current president-elect has immunity. He is exempt from criminal prosecution for official acts committed while he is president.
After the Supreme Court ruled that presidents are immune from official acts, Smith filed a superseding indictment to argue that Trump acted outside of his official duties. The special counsel dismissed the case along with an indictment alleging that the now-president-elect mishandled classified documents after Trump won the election.
Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who indicted Trump on 18 counts for allegedly trying to overturn Georgia’s election, has weighed in on whether Trump should be disqualified from Georgia over an undisclosed alleged relationship. Pursuit of the case is currently on hold as it is considered by the Court of Appeals. Special Counsel Nathan Wade.
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