Most of the country is talking about the upcoming Senate trial of former President Donald Trump. The word “impeachment” is on everyone’s lips, and history could soon be made.
But in the meantime, Trump got some good news from the highest court in the land — an ongoing legal battle that lasted for 4 long years has finally drawn to a close.
And the Supreme Court justices have sided with our last Commander-in-Chief.
For years, Trump’s businesses were under heavy scrutiny. In particular, he faced two lawsuits that accused him of violating a specific clause in the Constitution.
One of the lawsuits was actually filed just one day after Trump was inaugurated back in early 2017; it was filed by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW).
Then, the attorneys general of District of Columbia and Maryland leveled a similar case in June of that year (via Politico).
It’s all over now, though, and the cases have been tossed. As reported by The Daily Wire:
The Supreme Court tossed two lawsuits accusing former President Donald Trump of violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution on Monday, ending a roughly four-year legal battle over the former president’s businesses.
Basically, the Emoluments Clause stops elected officials from receiving payments from foreign agents without the approval of Congress. At its core, it’s designed to stop foreign bribes.
Interestingly enough, the Emoluments Clause had never seen a courtroom before Trump took office.
This would’ve been the first time that Clause had been the center of a Supreme Court trial. But now that the judges have tossed it out, the entire situation essentially disappears.
The reasoning was simple: all parties involved agreed that the issue is now moot, because Trump is no longer in office.
Trump actually earned another big decision in February of 2020, when a federal appeals court dismissed a lawsuit – brought by 215 Congressional Democrats – over that same Emoluments Clause.
Throughout all these cases, Trump has vigorously asserted his innocence.
To many, this was more about a statement — reminding businessmen turned public officials that foreign bribes are simply out of bounds. As such, it was less about proving Trump guilty.
But either way, the former President is now in the clear.
All that remains is the upcoming impeachment trial, which will require that 17 Senate Republicans vote to convict. And right now, that does seem unlikely.
Key Takeaways:
- The Supreme Court has dismissed 2 lawsuits against former President Donald Trump.
- The lawsuits accused Trump’s businesses of accepting money from foreign agents.
- But now that Trump is no longer in office, the point is moot and the suits have been tossed.
- It’s the second time a lawsuit involving Trump and the Emoluments Clause has been dismissed — it happened in February 2020 as well.
Source: The Daily Wire