By Mildred Robertson
In a blog published June 22 I opined that: "While the Court labors under a cloud of suspicion regarding its integrity and which cases it took up and why; America’s future hangs in the balance. This nation stands on the precipice of disaster if the Supreme Court does not show the same kind of strength and integrity we have witnessed across this nation, as state courts held rioters, insurrectionists, rebels, and even would-be kings responsible for their actions."
Well, we no longer stand on the precipice of disaster. We are now tossed into the breach!
On Monday, the Supreme Court gave unprecedented power to the United States President...power that in the wrong hands can destroy the democratic foundation upon which our nation has stood since July 4, 1776. The Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump is partially immune from prosecution for efforts to overturn the 2020 election. They found that Trump cannot be prosecuted for "official acts" taken in office but could be liable for illegal private conduct. The ruling ended in a 6-3 ruling on ideological lines with Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan dissenting.
An impassioned dissent from Justice Sonia Sotomayor said this ruling left her with "fear for our democracy." I share her fear as we face an upcoming election where polls have the racist, sexist, criminally indicted Donald Trump running neck-and-neck with President Joe Biden. She, Kagan, and Jackson envision a grim outlook for U.S. democracy. Sotomayor wrote, "In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law."
Jackson also paints a grim picture of this nation's future, stating, "If the structural consequences of today's paradigm shift mark a step in the wrong direction, then the practical consequences are a five-alarm fire that threatens to consume democratic self-governance and the normal operations of our government."
The first ember of the coming blaze threatening to burn our country to the ground is the criminal election fraud case against Trump. That case will now be sent back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan who must rule on whether the criminal charges brought against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith pertain to official acts performed as president or were private conduct subject to prosecution. This will undoubtedly delay the trial until after the Nov. 5 election. The result is a victory for Trump, the presumptive nominee for the Republican presidential candidacy. This decision insulates him during the election, but also literally gives him a "get-out-of-jail-free card.
So, it behooves all of us who believe in democracy to let our voices be heard during the November 5th election. No one should sit this one out.
If I were creating the perfect candidate, Joe Biden would not be my creation. But I do believe that I share similar values with him. He will do his best to do what is right for America. He is a decent human being who will choose right over wrong. I trust him, and I believe that history will look favorably upon his administration.
None of those things can be said for his opponent.
The democratic party has not always done ALL that it should to make this a more equitable society. Nevertheless, Joe Biden and the Democratic party offer the best hope for America to maintain its freedom. A protest vote will be heard by few, but felt by many.
No one is coming to save us from the existential threat of a Trump-led Republican majority. Not the courts. Not the DOJ. Not the Congress. We must save ourselves.
We must vote like our freedom depends on it...because it does.
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