With the stunning Supreme Court ruling on the matter of Donald Trump and his taxes, which have been subpoenaed by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, the president and the Trump Organization are now facing incredible legal challenges that could wind up destroying both, according to legal experts.
The 7-2 ruling in the case of Vance v. Trump made it clear that no American is above the law, not even the sitting president, and that suggests that more bad news will be coming soon for the president, who is facing multiple investigations on matters ranging from tax and bank fraud to money laundering. Those are all felonies and could wind up costing Trump, members of his family, and members of the Trump Organization decades behind bars.
Harvard Law professor Laurence Tribe remarked:
“Profoundly important 7-2 victory in Vance v. Trump: No absolute immunity from state and local grand jury subpoenas for Trump’s financial records to investigate his crimes as a private citizen. Being president doesn’t confer the kind of categorical shield Trump claimed.”
Indeed, Trump had claimed “absolute immunity” from subpoena or any other investigations of him while he serves as president. But the justices made clear that argument was in direct violation of the U.S. Constitution.
Tomiko Brown-Nagin, a constitutional law professor at Harvard Law, agreed strongly with Professor Tribe:
“I’m pleased but not surprised by the Court’s decision in Trump v. Vance. The majority vindicated the critically important principle in American constitutional law that the President, like everyone else, is subject to the rule of law. Had the Court gone the other way, it would have been shocking; after all, limits on government, especially executive power, are said to fundamentally distinguish the United States from undemocratic, disorderly, and often brutal totalitarian regimes.”
Some have complained that the American public may not get to see Trump’s tax returns before the November election, but Neal Katyal, who served as Acting Solicitor General in the Obama administration, made clear that there’s still hope we will indeed get to see the president’s taxes:
If courts can decide a Presidential election start to finish in 36 days, &decide the Nixon tapes subpoena case start to finish in under 4 months,it’s easy for courts to decide the New York case, particularly since the SCOTUS opinion today leaves Trump with very little left to say
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) July 9, 2020
And the public interest is overwhelming. I can’t imagine a greater case for expediting a matter than we want to avoid a circumstance where this potentially criminal info comes out after the election.
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) July 9, 2020
The last scene of this particular drama has not yet been played out. And don’t be surprised if we do indeed get to see exactly what Trump has so desperately tried to keep hidden all these years.