During a recent segment on MSNBC’s “The Weekend,” Slate legal analyst Mark Joseph Stern placed blame squarely on Justice Samuel Alito for the Supreme Court’s prolonged delay in ruling on Donald Trump’s potential criminal immunity. Stern highlighted how Alito’s actions could shield Trump from justice, impacting the upcoming 2024 presidential election.
Stern criticized the Court’s formalistic approach, which he argued enables Trump’s continued political involvement despite constitutional barriers.
“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,” Stern asserted.
“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,” the legal analyst continued.
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“We could see that same dynamic play out on this decision,” he said. “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.”
As the legal community speculates on the Court’s next move, Stern’s allegations underscore growing concerns that Alito’s influence could prevent Trump from facing consequences for alleged wrongdoing, reinforcing perceptions of judicial favoritism and obstructing justice.
Watch the segment below from MSNBC:
