Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) and 27 of their Senate colleagues in introducing a constitutional amendment making clear that no one in the United States is above the law, including the president. This follows the unprecedented Supreme Court decision in Trump v. United States, in which the Court ruled that immunity from criminal prosecution covers a president’s “official acts.”
“We must be able to hold accountable elected officials who abuse their official powers, and the Supreme Court’s decision otherwise is a dangerous change that would hurt our democracy,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m proud to help introduce this constitutional amendment to make it clear that no one is above the law—not even the president.”
In response to the Supreme Court’s unprecedented decision last month that presidents are immune from prosecution for “official” actions, this constitutional amendment would clarify that presidents and other federal officeholders are, in fact, accountable to the law for their actions. Specifically, the amendment states that every person holding a position of authority under the U.S., including the president and the vice president, is criminally liable for actions both official and unofficial under any generally-applicable criminal laws they violate.
The full text of the amendment is available HERE.
###