'That's insane': Ethics and legal experts weigh in on Supreme Court’s Trump emoluments decision

'That's insane': Ethics and legal experts weigh in on Supreme Court’s Trump emoluments decision
President Donald J. Trump gestures to White House staff with a fist pump after disembarking Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, following his trip to Texas. (Official White House Photo by Tia Dufour)
Alex Henderson
January 25, 2021

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided against hearing a case involving former President Donald Trump and the U.S. Constitution's Emoluments Clause, which prohibits a U.S. president from profiting from a foreign government. CNN's Ariane de Vogue reports that the High Court, on January 25, "instructed the lower courts to wipe away a previous lower court opinion that went against Trump because he is no longer in office."

De Vogue notes that this ruling "leaves unresolved a novel question raised in the case because Trump, unlike other presidents, did not use a blind trust when he assumed the presidency, but instead, continued to retain an interest in his businesses and let those businesses to take money from foreign and domestic governments."

Here are some reactions to the High Court's ruling:














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