A court in Pennsylvania has reportedly determined that a voting machine supervisor cannot sue former President Donald Trump over claims of fraud in the state’s 2020 election tallies, as reported by various media outlets. According to the court, presidential immunity shields the president from these lawsuits.
Judge Michael Erdos of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas said that additional judicial procedures may evaluate the propriety of the president’s comments and conduct. The plaintiffs here and in other similar instances assert that the defendants’ actions seriously endangered our democratic system. The ruling was, however, that this was not the right time or place to bring it up. In this case, Trump is protected by his position as president.
Reports say that at least one of the comments at issue in the case was made by Trump after he had left office, making him vulnerable to the claims brought against him.
James Savage, the supervisor of voting machines in Pennsylvania, filed a complaint claiming he received death threats after being falsely accused of being involved in a conspiracy involving Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, two poll observers, and others. He also had two heart attacks which he blames on the stress of the accusations against him.
According to reports, Erdos ruled that Trump’s two statements were part of his official duties as president and that the subject matter of the statements, claims from third parties and the president about irregularities in the presidential election, cast doubt on the integrity of the election and on whether now-President Joseph Biden had been duly elected.
Trump’s legal representative Alina Habba expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision to uphold the long-established tenet of Presidential Immunity. Habba claims that the court’s ruling makes it clear that the president may speak out against election fraud without fear of legal repercussions.
They expect that the rest of Mr. Savage’s claims will be rejected for similar reasons.
