(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden said the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision granting presidents immunity for official actions is a “fundamentally new principle” that sets “a dangerous precedent.”
“For all practical purposes, today’s decision essentially means that there are no limits on what a president can do,” Biden said in a public address.
The sitting leader said this ruling will compel the president to obey the law, which he says he will respect, even if other presidents do not.
“The only limits will be self-imposed by the president alone,” Biden said. “This decision today has continued the court’s attacks in recent years on a wide range of long-established legal principles in our nation.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent said the decision would allow a president to “use his official power for evil ends” like assassinating a political rival, organizing a military coup or handing out pardons in exchange for bribes.
Biden said he agrees with Sotomayor’s words, calling on the American people to dissent as well.
“This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America … no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States,” Biden said.
The decision was met with backlash from the Left, with Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York announcing she intends to file articles of impeachment against the court after its ruling.
“Now the man that sent that mob to the U.S. Capitol is facing potential criminal conviction for what happened that day,” Biden said. “The American people deserve to have an answer from the courts before the upcoming election.”
Monday’s ruling will not stop the case against former President Donald Trump altogether but will delay it. The lower court will have to determine whether Trump’s actions on Jan. 6 were considered official presidential duties, making them immune from prosecution.
On Truth Social, the Trump campaign posted that they considered the ruling a win for the former president.