Supreme Court handed Donald Trump a ‘loaded gun’ — and he’s pulling it in case after case: expert
Slate’s legal writer Dahlia Lithwick warned on Wednesday that the U.S. Supreme Court has given Donald Trump a kind of legal shield that could allow him to act more freely than any president before him.
Speaking with MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, Lithwick reacted to reports that two Justice Department prosecutors had been placed on leave after they pushed for tough prison sentences for some of the January 6 rioters — the same people Trump later pardoned.
She said the Supreme Court’s latest opinion seemed detached from real life. According to Lithwick, the justices treated it like a theoretical or “academic” discussion rather than something that would be applied to a leader who has already shown a willingness to abuse power.
“There was once hope that presidential immunity would protect a president when they needed to make quick, tough decisions,” Lithwick said. “But this isn’t a normal president. Trump has openly bragged that he could shoot someone and face no consequences. Now, the court’s decision basically suggests that it might even be legally possible for him to do something as extreme as ordering SEAL Team Six to assassinate a political rival — and that’s terrifying.”
Lithwick said that in cases where Trump might pressure government officials or misuse public money — like the reported $230 million pressure on the Department of Justice — the likely defense will always be the same: “immunity, immunity, immunity.”
She warned that this kind of protection sends Trump a dangerous message. “When Trump calls Attorney General Pam Bondi, thinking no one’s listening, and tells her to go after his political enemies, he feels untouchable. The Supreme Court basically handed him that power,” she said.
Lithwick added that the confusion now extends far beyond the Justice Department. Judges across the country are struggling to understand how to handle cases involving Trump. “The Supreme Court has effectively given him a loaded gun,” she said. “He’s waving it around from case to case, and other judges are stuck wondering how to respond since the Court’s ruling ties their hands.”
Miles Taylor, who worked as Trump’s chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security, agreed with Lithwick’s warning. “The Supreme Court has bubble-wrapped Donald Trump in immunity,” Taylor said. “He knows it, and we’re only seeing the beginning of how he plans to use this new sense of invincibility to put himself above the law.”
