Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says she is ‘concerned’ by Trump’s immunity decision
Washington — Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she was “concerned” by the court’s landmark decision granting former President Donald Trump immunity from prosecution for official acts he performed while in office.
Jackson, in an interview with CBS Evening News anchor and editor Norah O’Donnell, suggested the ruling gave Trump special treatment compared to anyone else in the criminal justice system.
“I was concerned about a system that seemed to grant immunity to an individual in certain circumstances, when we have a criminal justice system that generally treats everyone the same,” she said.
It is Jackson’s first broadcast interview since joining the Supreme Court, and it comes ahead of the release of her memoir, “Lovely One,” on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court’s decision in July was ideologically driven, with the six Republican-appointed justices concluding that former presidents enjoy broad legal protection from prosecution for alleged acts carried out in their official capacities. But the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s argument that he enjoys absolute immunity unless impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate.
In his dissenting opinion, Jackson wrote that “the Court has now declared for the first time in history that the most powerful official in the United States can (in circumstances yet to be fully determined) become a law unto himself.”
The decision blocked special counsel Jack Smith’s case against Trump, who is accused of resisting the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election.
On Tuesday, Smith filed a replacement indictment against Trump, narrowing the allegations after the Supreme Court ruled that the former president was immune from prosecution for some of the conduct detailed in the original indictment.
Asked if she was prepared for cases related to the upcoming election to end up before the Supreme Court, Jackson said she was “as prepared as anyone can be.”
“I think legal issues arise out of the political process, so the Supreme Court has to be prepared to respond, if necessary,” she said.
Watch the rest of Norah O’Donnell’s interview with Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on “CBS News Sunday Morning.”
