Another absurd SCOTUS ruling just dropped

 

February 29, 2024 Happy Leap Day.  The date isn't the only reason today might feel surreal: It may also have something to do with the fact that the Supreme Court handed Trump a win yesterday, as my colleague Pema Levy reported. The court agreed to pause the federal criminal case over Trump's efforts to subvert the 2020 election, in order to have time to consider his claim that he is immune from prosecution for acts taken during his presidency. This could have profound implications—including, for example, a president ordering SEAL Team Six to assassinate a political opponent and avoiding prosecution for it unless he were first impeached by the House and convicted in the Senate for that crime, as a Trump lawyer acknowledged during oral arguments before the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. As Pema writes: "Trump’s theory of absolute immunity for former presidents is radical and dangerous, elevating the office of the president to a king-like status above the law."  Read Pema's piece to learn more—and remember that, as Mother Jones' editor-in-chief Clara Jeffery reminds us: "This country can survive a corrupt SCOTUS and a rising tide of bigotry, authoritarianism, and hate. But only if we fight like hell."  —Julianne McShane

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Supreme Court Hands Trump a Win and Delays His Election Subversion Prosecution The justices will wait almost two months before hearing Trump's argument that he's above the law. BY PEMA LEVY

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Washington state's biggest union backs "uncommitted" Dem vote BY JULIANNE MCSHANE Uncommitted voters in Michigan made clear their disgust with Biden and the war BY NOAH LANARD Mitch McConnell's legacy is the return of Donald Trump BY PEMA LEVY Telehealth abortions continue to rise—even in banned states, a new study shows BY JULIANNE MCSHANE

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The psychiatrist who warned us that Donald Trump would unleash violence was absolutely right The vindication of Bandy Lee. BY JOSHUA KENDALL

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