Justice Alito singled out as roadblock to stalled Trump criminal immunity ruling

During an appearance on MSNBC's "The Weekend," Slate legal analyst Mark Joseph Stern pointed the finger at Justice Samuel Alito as the culprit for why the Supreme Court has yet to issue a ruling on whether Donald Trump should be afforded blanket criminal immunity.

Speaking with the hosts, Stern was asked why the court is dragging its feet on a case that could have a major impact on the 2024 presidential election.

"I think the problem here is that the Supreme Court's conservatives are, if not corrupt, then wrapped up in this fantasy of a presidency that has safeguards, that has guard rails against abuse and corruption and they don't think what Donald Trump did at the end of the day, was all that bad," the legal analysts stated.

"This came out loud and clear in the conservatives' decision on the ballot removal case where the court refused to grapple with this question on whether Trump engaged in insurrection, refused to address the true gravity of January 6, and issued a very formalistic non-originalist opinion that allows Trump to appear on the ballot, despite the 14th's Amendment clear bar against insurrectionists holding federal office," he continued.

"We could see that same dynamic play out on this decision," he continued. "Maybe that is the reason for the delay behind the scenes but I also think it is possible that Justice Sam Alito is simply dragging out the opinion writing process to run as much interference for Trump as possible — to run out the clock and ensure his guy doesn't have to see meaningful legal progress in this case beyond November and beyond."

Watch below or at the link.

MSNBC 06 22 2024 08 01 21 youtu.be