President Biden seeks constitutional amendment to limit presidential immunity
US President Joe Biden (Phoro: Getty Images)
US President Joe Biden will call for limits on immunity for US Presidents, according to Politico.
Biden intends to seek an amendment to the Constitution clarifying that US presidents are not immune from federal prosecution. This is a response to the Supreme Court's decision on July 1 in the case of Donald Trump, which determined that presidents have certain immunity from prosecution for "official acts" taken while in office.
"What is happening now is not normal, and it undermines the public’s confidence in the court’s decisions, including those impacting personal freedoms," Biden wrote in an article to be published Monday morning, according to excerpts from a White House representative.
The agency notes that amending the Constitution is difficult. It requires the support of two-thirds of both houses of Congress or a convention called by two-thirds of the states and the approval of three-quarters of state legislatures.
Criminal cases against Trump
In 2022, Donald Trump was accused of illegally storing classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and attempting to conceal them from officials. On July 15, 2024, Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case against Trump, stating that Special Prosecutor John Smith had no authority to pursue it.
If Trump is elected president, he could order his attorney general to close this case and another related to his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Cannon's decision is not binding on Judge Tanya Chutkan in the election interference case, but Trump's lawyers are expected to reference it.
The Supreme Court found that Trump likely has criminal immunity for actions taken while in office, which could affect the election-related case.
On July 15, Trump was officially declared a candidate for the Republican Party in the upcoming elections.
