The Supreme Court is set to decide if former President Trump can be prosecuted for alleged interference in the federal election and Hollywood is not here for it.
The day after the nation’s highest court ruled that it would grant Trump’s request to decide if he is immune from criminal prosecution for his actions while in office, liberal celebrities took to social media to blast the “GOP Supreme Court.”
“Republicans in the Senate refused to hold Trump accountable for leading a violent attempt to overthrow the US Government,” Stand By Me director Rob Reiner complained.
“Now Republicans on the Supreme Court have just given him a get out of jail free card,” he added. “It’s now up to voters to rid US of this cancerous threat to Democracy.”
Republicans in the Senate refused to hold Trump accountable for leading a violent attempt to overthrow the US Government. Now Republicans on the Supreme Court have just given him a get out of jail free card. It’s now up to voters to rid US of this cancerous threat to Democracy.
— Rob Reiner (@robreiner) February 29, 2024
Fellow Hollywood liberal Barbra Streisand said that the ex-president’s immunity claim was “preposterous” in a tweet on Thursday afternoon.
“The GOP Supreme Court just insured the nation will not receive a verdict in Trump’s attempted coup trial before the election,” the singer posted. “Trump’s immunity claim is preposterous.”
Two and a Half Men star Jon Cryer railed at the Supreme Court over the ruling and called for Democrats to “push” court packing.
The GOP Supreme Court just insured the nation will not receive a verdict in Trump’s attempted coup trial before the election. Trump’s immunity claim is preposterous. https://t.co/X25E965JbK
— Barbra Streisand (@BarbraStreisand) February 29, 2024
“SCOTUS has lost its last shred of legitimacy,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Slow walking the immunity case is the final straw.”
“Dems must push to expand the court, add 18 year term limits, and a full ethics investigation of Clarence Thomas,” Cryer added.
Oral arguments are scheduled for late April, with a decision by late June, at a time when Trump faces a criminal trial that has been temporarily suspended.
This is the Court’s second Trump-related case this term, following a prior hearing on his potential removal from the Colorado primary ballot due to claims of his involvement in the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.
Trump, vying for the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination, sought to pause his trial launched by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
SCOTUS has lost its last shred of legitimacy.
Slow walking the immunity case is the final straw.
Dems must push to expand the court, add 18 year term limits, and a full ethics investigation of Clarence Thomas. https://t.co/2N4sCrLO20
— Jon Cryer (@MrJonCryer) February 29, 2024
Despite a D.C. appeals court rejecting his claim of immunity from prosecution, Trump’s team appealed to the Supreme Court for temporary relief while they contest his immunity more broadly.
Smith has urged the Court to proceed without delay, citing the case’s national significance and the public interest in a prompt conclusion.
Trump’s argument centers on the impact of allowing presidential prosecutions, which his legal team says would lead to “destructive cycles of recrimination” and impede presidential decision-making out of fear of future legal challenges.
The former president’s legal defense claims that without immunity, the presidency’s functioning will fundamentally change, affecting the role’s independence and impairing the ability to execute duties without fear of politically motivated retribution.
#FuckTheSupremeCourt https://t.co/HVdROy2mrD
— Ellen Barkin (@EllenBarkin) February 29, 2024
Following District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s deferral of the trial until Supreme Court action, Trump remains in legal limbo.
During this period, he has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy charges relating to the 2020 election and the Capitol raid, levied by Smith’s office.
Trump’s legal team ardently maintains that the prosecution’s potential influence over presidential actions poses a threat to the integrity of the office.
On Thursday, Trump’s campaign lodged an appeal following an Illinois judge’s decision to disqualify him from the state ballots.
The 2024 presidential hopeful is now ineligible according to Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter’s interpretation of a constitutional provision against “insurrectionists.”
This verdict overturns an earlier Illinois Board of Elections’ decision, which ruled against a group of Illinois voters accusing Trump of insurrection.
Fox News reported that court filings show Porter’s recommendation for Trump’s removal or to disregard votes for him due to a breach of the 14th Amendment.
While the ruling is temporarily suspended pending appeal, its conclusion might not matter with due to the Supreme Court’s case.
Meanwhile, Trump also faces ballot removal in Colorado and Maine, making Illinois the third such state.