Over the last eight years of American politics, unprecedented events have occurred in the judiciary and political realms of the federal government (and at the state level) that have thrown into question the integrity and free nature of America’s governing institutions. Following the 2016 election of Donald Trump in which he won an upset victory over the Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton, the general climate of politics in the country has become polarized, divided, tense and completely backwards.
Trump is facing several criminal indictments and has faced two failed impeachment proceedings. He was even convicted of a felony in relation the Stormy Daniels Hush Money case. The Colorado state supreme court even made a ruling that cited a portion of the 14th amendment of the United States Constitution and claimed that Trump should be ineligible for the presidential primary ballot in that state because he incited “an insurrection” on January 6th, 2021. The attempt to remove him from the ballot (or to remove any candidate from the ballot) is an unprecedented step in American history. Even Trump’s former vice president Mike Pence who has been vocally critical of the former president stated it was “antithetical to American democracy” to remove Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot. The Supreme Court later overturned this ruling in a 9-0 decision.
In a recent development, the Supreme Court also made a ruling that granted the president sweeping immunity for actions taken while serving in an official capacity while in office. Several leftist judges passionately dissented, including Sonia Sotomayor. Sotomayor is a justice who is also well-known for her support of gun-control and her loose interpretation of second amendment rights. Ironically, an 18 year old attempted to shoot two armed marshalls assigned to a security detail near the justices home. Ultimately, the individuals acted quickly and the threat was neutralized. There is no indication the justice was being targeted in any way, shape, or form.