Swoope: The Supreme Court has thrown out decades of precedence

Be afraid. Be very afraid. The Conservative six justices, having established an imperial Supreme Court, have now established an imperial presidency via the presidential immunity ruling.

Only the court of public opinion – and that means you and me and our votes, folks – can avoid the worst-case scenario. Otherwise, Trump will ascend to the office – er, the throne – of the presidency.

Six conservative justices, three of whom were appointed by Trump, are busily smashing decades of precedent, despite having assured us they strongly believed in Stare Decisis during their confirmation hearings. Apparently, they actually believed they are smarter than decades of Justices who preceded them, whose collective wisdom they arrogantly disregard.

Recently they declared that judicial judgment trumps expert knowledge on literally everything, overturning the Chevron precedent. Past courts gave serious deference to agency experts when ambiguity in regulations came up in litigation. No more. EPA experts are to be second guessed by judges who know even less about air quality than Justice Gorsuch who, in his written opinion, confused laughing gas with a component of smog? No laughing matter!

ATF experts’ ban on bump stocks overruled by justices who don’t know a machine gun from a semiautomatic when they see it? Overturning the conviction of a public official accepting a $13,000 bribe? Oh, sorry, it’s a just a gratuity (wink, wink)? And now, the final blow. Presidents engaging in criminal behavior have vast immunity, even for treasonous activities, e.g. conspiring to overturn an election.

Only we voters stand between Donald Trump getting away with his past crimes and the ones he’s promising to commit with the help of his MAGA enablers and Project 2025 plans if he is elected.  

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.