The profoundly ethically compromised SCOTUS has just ruled that what we thought was our republic, built on the Constitution and obedience to laws, is not that at all. Instead, they have declared that presidents are immune from obeying laws–just like the kings of old that the American Revolution fought to depose.
Just two years after declaring that 50 years of Roe is over, comes this heinous declaration of presidential immunity. Recall that Judge Alito, who wrote the Dobbs decision, loves to fly flags with his wife to declare how deeply they love insurrectionists. To kill the right of women to make decisions about their own bodies, he invoked two 17th century British lawmakers who supported burning women as witches. His new Dobbs law threatens the lives of pregnant women on a regular basis.
This same infallible court told us last week in the Chevron case that 40+ years of letting scientists and specialists guide laws that determine food we eat (and don’t eat); and drugs we take (and ought not take); and how to save the environment should be tossed in favor of judges telling us what is harmful or not.
On July 1, a day to commemorate in the annals of How Democracy Dies, SCOTUS—led on by its two loudest mouths who have been taking over $4 million of bribes from billionaires for years–informed us that the country has been mistaken for 240 years and that presidents cannot be prosecuted for disobeying the constitution.
Rather—surely we ought to have known this—in their infinite wisdom, they and four other judges tell us just in time for the 4th of July, that presidents are immune from laws that others of us need obey. Laws against killing your political opponent; or turning over elections if you want to; or starting a coup and sustaining it with the use of the military; etc.
They called the conviction of MAGA extremists who stormed the capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power “overstepping.” So the rioters did not overstep—those enforcing law and order did! Capitol policeman Harry Dunn, who was injured on duty that day, responds: SCOTUS has now “sided with Insurrectionists.”
Meanwhile, Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, proud fashioners of the ‘Project 2025’ fascist blueprint for Trump’s presidency, declared that his “second American Revolution…will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.”* Threats of violence abound.
Happy 4th of July–Anyway!
To be continued.
* Talia Jane, “Conservative Behind Trump Agenda Issues Cryptic Threat to Liberals,” The New Republic, 7/3/2024.
See Matthew Fox, “Meister Eckhart and Karl Marx: The Mystic as Political Theologian,” in Fox, Wrestling with the Prophets, pp. 165-198.
Also see Matthew Fox, “Sermon Thirty-Six: Everyone an Aristocrat, Everyone a Royal Person,” in Fox, Passion For Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart, pp. 510-530.
And Fox, Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society.
Banner Image: “We elect presidents, not kings.” – Protestor In front of the Supreme Court as Presidential immunity is argued in Trump v. United States. Photo by Victoria Pickering on Flickr.
Queries for Contemplation
How do you respond to these latest decisions by SCOTUS on 1) immunity of presidents and 2) taking decision-making out of the hands of scientists and into the hands or judges regarding environmental and food and drug law commissions? And to the threats from the president of the Heritage Foundation? (Regarding the latter, you can sign this petition if you feel so called: Fire Heritage Foundation President for Violent Rhetoric.)
Recommended Reading
Wrestling with the Prophets: Essays on Creation Spirituality and Everyday Life
In one of his foundational works, Fox engages with some of history’s greatest mystics, philosophers, and prophets in profound and hard-hitting essays on such varied topics as Eco-Spirituality, AIDS, homosexuality, spiritual feminism, environmental revolution, Native American spirituality, Christian mysticism, Art and Spirituality, Art as Meditation, Interfaith or Deep Ecumenism and more.
Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart
Matthew Fox’s comprehensive translation of Meister Eckhart’s sermons is a meeting of true prophets across centuries, resulting in a spirituality for the new millennium. The holiness of creation, the divine life in each person and the divine power of our creativity, our call to do justice and practice compassion–these are among Eckhart’s themes, brilliantly interpreted and explained for today’s reader.
“The most important book on mysticism in 500 years.” — Madonna Kolbenschlag, author of Kissing Sleeping Beauty Goodbye.
Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Transforming Evil in Soul and Society
Visionary theologian and best-selling author Matthew Fox offers a new theology of evil that fundamentally changes the traditional perception of good and evil and points the way to a more enlightened treatment of ourselves, one another, and all of nature. In comparing the Eastern tradition of the 7 chakras to the Western tradition of the 7 capital sins, Fox allows us to think creatively about our capacity for personal and institutional evil and what we can do about them.
“A scholarly masterpiece embodying a better vision and depth of perception far beyond the grasp of any one single science. A breath-taking analysis.” — Diarmuid O’Murchu, author of Quantum Theology: Spiritual Implications of the New Physics
6 thoughts on “July 4th & SCOTUS Proposes Presidents are Kings Immune from the Law”
If Trump wins the election in November (just four months away), the building blocks have already been set in motion with the three conservative ‘unsupreme’ judges Trump placed on the Supreme Court during his past presidency, and their recent immunity decisions for the presidency, for us to have an authoritarian dictatorship instead of a democracy. Many peoples’ and experts’ concerns are real that this is truly going to be an existential election for our democracy! Do Americans really want our American democratic society to become a dictatorship like German society did under Hitler? God willing, most Americans will vote wisely and spiritually from their conscience.
By the way, a top Democratic political leader interviewed on ‘Democracy Now!’ yesterday said the option of an open democratic convention is still realistically possible for democratic leaders, and it would create excitement and hope for the democratic base to nominate the best Democratic candidate and leader to defeat Donald Trump in November.
Scotus has destroyed democracy and all our rights. I do not feel I have anything to celebrate this July 4th. The world looks bleak. Let us pray and still work for justice where we can. Thank you Matthew for your good meditations.
Our ministry received this revelation: “ONLY THE LIMITLESS POWERS OF EVERLASTING LOVE, ITS COMMUNION WITH ALL HOLY BRING THE DIMENSION MEANT TO BE”.
Let’s commit ourselves to loving, daily prayers that all leaders and peoples receive graces of enlightenment, truth, compassionate justice, healing; that united holy empowerments outdo any and all unholy powers of deceit and prevention of truth.
Do we hear an Amen?
I agree with Charles Jude and Agnes Budinger that we must pray, and pray sincerely, for these seemingly lost souls who are wreaking such havoc to the United States; as one of my favorite preachers, the Rev. Dr. Jacqi Lewis, says, we need to pray the hell out of them. I have been reading Alice Walker’s, “We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For”. In it, she quotes a poem from a previous book, “By The Light of My Father’s Smile”:
When life descends into the pit
I must become my own candle
Willingly burning myself
To light up the darkness
Around me.
To me, this includes speaking up and speaking out in every peaceful way possible. Absent some kind of miracle, I see this present dark state lasting for enough generations to pass, hopefully just one, for a return to moderation. Fascism will destroy itself. I doubt I will live to see it.
Well said, Matthew. There is a flaw in our system. Our founders never expected the Supreme Court–the “final arbitrator” of our system of democracy–to be corrupt. Our founders never expected a corrupt, faithless, incompetent President to nominate right-wing ideologues for confirmation. Our founders never expected several justices in a row to lie to get on the Supreme Court. They never expected the Speaker of the House to refuse to allow a President to nominate a justice because it was “too close to the election” then let his own President to do so much much closer to another election. Our founders never expected corruption to run so deep that it perverted all three branches of government to promote an agenda held in tandem by a secretive Catholic cult and the potentates of corporations. Our founders were mostly good men, and as such they were naive. Our system of government never had enough checks and balances against absolute corruption.
Amen. Well said,Michele. Our democracy is far from perfect but it is a starting point from which we can work to ensure that everyone has a voice so that there will be equality for all,no exceptions. “United we stand- divided we fall.”