Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor posited that “a stable democratic society needs the good faith of its public officials,” including the assumption that those officials will follow the law, as the nation’s highest court heard arguments in Trump v. United States on Thursday.
The case centers on whether former President Donald Trump should receive presidential immunity from prosecution for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election.
“There is no fail-safe system of government,” Sotomayor said. “In the end, if it fails completely, it’s because we’ve destroyed our democracy on our own, isn’t it?”
Justice Department attorney Michael Dreeben agreed with Sotomayor, adding, “I think one of the ways in which abuses are limited is accountability under the criminal law for criminal violations, but the ultimate check is the goodwill and faith in democracy.”
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