Legal experts weigh in on Supreme Court rulings on Trump's financial records
The U.S. Supreme Court, on July 9, handed down two anxiously awaited decisions dealing with access to President Donald Trump’s financial records — one in Trump v. Vance, the other in Trump v. Mazars.
In the 7-2 Trump v. Vance decision, the High Court ruled that the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance can have access to President Donald Trump’s financial documents — and rejected Trump’s claim that “absolute immunity” protects him from having to share those documents with Vance and other prosecutors. The dissenters in Trump v. Vance were Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito.
In Trump v. Mazars, Trump wins this stage of dispute over congressional subpoenas to lenders and accountant for pre… https://t.co/6kbfcePM7f— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) 1594304657
In Trump v. Vance, Chief Justice John Roberts declared, “Given these safeguards and the Court’s precedents, we cannot conclude that absolute immunity is necessary or appropriate under Article II or the Supremacy Clause. Our dissenting colleagues agree.”
But Trump v. Mazars, also a 7-2 ruling, is a disappointment for Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives — as the Supreme Court ruled that Congress, at least for now, cannot have access to the president’s financial records.
The two decisions are receiving a lot of reactions and analysis from legal experts. According to CNN’s Jeffrey Toobin, “Even though the president lost on the legal issue, he has clearly won on his ability to run for reelection without disclosing his tax returns to the public.”
Here’s what other legal experts are saying:
A major win. No one should be above the law—including the president of the United States. https://t.co/qXoLMGzrop— Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris) 1594305071
Trump loses but looks like he can make new arguments before district court before complying with subpoena… https://t.co/h1ugb9t6rp— davidshepardson (@davidshepardson) 1594304146
Similar outcome in the Mazars case; unlikely any Trump financial records will be available before the election https://t.co/W5sqqQdLRz— Ram Ramgopal (@Ram Ramgopal) 1594304909
BREAKING: Trump can’t block release of his financial records to NY prosecutors but lower courts must take another l… https://t.co/xK2KjVsrbl— Adam Liptak (@Adam Liptak) 1594304895
In sum: Trump’s financial records—all of them—will remain sealed at least through Election Day. Trump indeed lost… https://t.co/363ifEWpLT— Andrew Desiderio (@Andrew Desiderio) 1594305304
@realDonaldTrump No court has ever held that a president was "immune" to a grand jury subpoena or Congressional sub… https://t.co/9sQid0N4ED— Renato Mariotti (@Renato Mariotti) 1594305642
Trump v Vance is 7-2 with Alito & Thomas in the minority. DA Vance gets his records & can proceed. https://t.co/gqYoalJ1tb— Joyce Alene (@Joyce Alene) 1594303986
Katyal: This is not a mixed bag or a victory for Trump. Trump shouldn’t be happy about this. The fact is he lost. H… https://t.co/oEgUCaoUDk— Acyn (@Acyn) 1594307336
On the substance, not a great day for congressional oversight authority. But the Trump legal team’s strategy has… https://t.co/UXJquzlFnp— Andrew Desiderio (@Andrew Desiderio) 1594305492
BREAKING: Trump can’t block release of his financial records to NY prosecutors but lower courts must take another l… https://t.co/xK2KjVsrbl— Adam Liptak (@Adam Liptak) 1594304895
