Sure. Even better, if you replace them with ones that will rule this was an error and the president only gets qualified immunity, you'll still be in the clear because you were acting on what you thought the law was.
If he went to their homes and strangled them himself? Yes. If he ordered someone to do it. The laws and UCMJ apply to those people so no. There's this thing people keep forgetting about. The UCMJ isn't just guidelines. It's actual rules. And murder is still illegal.
IANAL, but there is the presidential power to pardon. So the president could in theory give an illegal order (as long as it is an official act they have immunity) and promise a presidential pardon once the order is fulfilled (therefore extending immunity to the perpetrator). Meaning the president can entirely circumvent the UCMJ.
So... Same as it's been since the war on terror began in 2001?
Oh, now they can assassinate white people in first world countries, not just drop bombs on weddings in mideast countries. I see. Totally makes all the difference.
(I am feeling very cynical here haha, I get this is a big significant legal precedent for the USA but yeah)
This was kind of my response. Everyone is thinking of Trump's shit, I was wondering about Al Awlaki. Assassinate a 16yo American citizen at a child's birthday party in Yemen? Np.
What result did we expect except some weird middle ground that allows the war on terror and a shitload of other extra-judicial killings with no proper declaration of war? They're codifying immunity that was already assumed.
Thank you for being a far better person than I, in that you actually give enough of a fuck to remember at least one specific, named person who was murdered in the way I was described.
This is not sarcasm it's a genuine emotional appreciation. I don't have it in me to remember, since all the shit news day in and day out just all blurs together and is too much for me to cope with if I tried to remember, but I'm glad someone is.
Its like in that movie with convicted drug trafficker, Tim Allen, where if you kill Santa Clause you become Santa Claus. If you kill the president, even on accident, you become the president.
So, the President is legally allowed to just kill anyone, but if anyone is resisting, even just saying “if you kill my uncle’s nephew’s father’s roommate and I will seek revenge”, it’s
18 U.S. Code § 1751 - “Presidential and Presidential staff assassination, kidnapping, and assault,” which covers attempts to kill or inflict harm on the President.
18 U.S. Code § 871 - “Threats against the President and successors to the Presidency,” which criminalizes threats to kill or harm the President.
If it is an official act, which would mean they would have to assassinate you in their function of being the president. In other words, they couldn't just kill their neighbors.
They could probably kill them as part of a celebration, I guess. Jk, I hope.
The president has always been allowed to assassinate you... They're in charge of the CIA/FBI/NSA/IRS/Other scary 3 letters who assassinate people all the time.
Making presidents immune in official actions is almost required given the sheer number of decisions they have to make and the scrutiny they're under means they're sure to break laws sometimes, plus the subjectivity of some laws (eg is making bad decisions and crashing the econony/causing infighting in the military or whatever else treason?) however in unofficial actions they should absolutely not be immune.
Honestly, Michael Wilson was willing to ride on the outside of a rocket into space and put his life on the line to save America from nuclear armageddon. We'd be fucking lucky if we had anyone with that level of conviction and love for their country in charge.
We are cooked. Completely cooked. American democracy is over and it's time to prepare for a harsh right wing fascist regime.
...but vote for Biden.
It was too late 12 years ago, this is everything playing out. Everyone acted like the 2020 election was our fight to keep democracy, we had already lost it by then, the conservative plan just hadn't been completed yet.
I am not saying you should go vote and vote for Biden. I am saying that, we can never, ever elect another Republican again, or we are fucked, I do not see the that happening. If we beat trump in 2024, we may not in 2028, or new trump, whoever the new right wing strong man is may win in 2032.
It's already over, it's been over. Our chance to stop this was long before anyone even realized it was a problem.
The problem didn't start, nor does it end with trump, he is just a convenient strong man to put as the face of the movement
time to prepare for a harsh right wing fascist regime
Wow, that's a good point, but some people may take it the wrong way and say things like 'what taco bell are we meeting up at to plan to depose the current massively corrupt Supreme.... taco?' 'Is surprise attacks on Taco Bell's military installations a viable objective?' 'Would the taco bell 'fresh crew' join the efforts to over turn the corporate structure?' 'Or should we all just move to Spain and enjoy the authentic taste of a secular society with universal healthcare and tapas as far as the eye can see'?
The best part is that whatever illegal thing Biden would do, will be designated as an unofficial act by the SC and whatever Trump will do will be designated as an official act. Kind of genius. I was asking myself before how they would get around the fact that they give Biden the same power that they wanted to give to Trump, but they don't by leaving themselves a food in the door to decide on each single act themselves.
But that kid was killed by an attack marked ''to whom it may concern'', not a focused deliberate attack with his name on it. He was a casualty, not a victim of assassination.
Sure allegedly it was to kill someone else that wasnt him, but it sure seems like they just "by chance" killed the son a couple weeks after the father "on accident".
But think of it outside of the propaganda; the president was allowed to blow up the wrong person (that happened to be an american minor in a family that had the father killed a couple weeks before) in a country that we are not at war with.
Not to be purposely irritating by being pedantic, but I think my hyper-literal thinking style is having trouble believing this. I don't think Obama literally killed a 16 y/o. He may have given an order, approved of it, or placed someone in charge that decided to do it, but I doubt that he personally killed the 16 y/o. Is my understanding of the word "literally" incorrect in this case?
Yes you are correct, he just signed off on it, and allegedly they were trying to kill someone else. I am just pretty skeptical that this wasnt some kind of message from the CIA that they will kill whoever.
And here we unsurprisingly have the fascists lying that this literal right wing coup by the sc is nothing because Obama once did this completely unrelated thing.
Are you really not aware of how presidents have been doing whatever they want for decades? The supreme court didnt make any new rule, its just ruling on what has been happening forever, and you are just reading headlines and believing the propaganda.