Top Dem Reintroduces Presidential Accountability Amendment with 130+ Original Cosponsors
‘No American president should be absolutely immune from criminal prosecution in our nation, where every person is created equal in the eyes of the law, nobody is above the law.’
WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Joe Morelle (NY-25), the top Democrat on the Committee on House Administration, reintroduced his Presidential Accountability Amendment to the United States Constitution with over 60% of the House Democratic Caucus cosponsoring the Resolution. As we continue to witness the erosion of our democracy, it is critical to ensure all people – even Presidents – are held accountable.
“The unrestrained, absolute presidential immunity doctrine the Court imagined in Trump v. United States invites a federal executive unbound by the constraints of the rule of law,” said Ranking Member Morelle. “Today, I’m reintroducing this constitutional amendment for the second time with a goal of restoring the constitutional understanding of immunity that served our nation well for over two centuries.”
Click here to read Rep. Morelle’s constitutional amendment.
The following Members of Congress are original cosponsors of Rep. Morelle’s constitutional amendment: Representatives Adams, Amo, Ansari, Balint, Barragán, Beatty, Bell, Bonamici, Boyle, Brown, Brownley, Budzinski, Carson, Carter, Casar, Casten, Castor, Castro, Cherfilus-McCormick, Chu, Clarke, Cleaver, Clyburn, Cohen, Costa, Courtney, Craig, Crockett, Davis (IL), Dean, DeGette, DeLauro, DelBene, Deluzio, DeSaulnier, Dexter, Dingell, Doggett, Escobar, Espaillat, Evans, Fletcher, Foster, Friedman, Frost, Garamendi, Garcia (CA), Goldman, Gomez, Green, Horsford, Houlahan, Huffman, Jayapal, Johnson (GA), Johnson (TX), Kamlager-Dove, Kelly, Kennedy, Khanna, Krishnamoorthi, Landsman, Larson, Latimer, Lee (PA), Leger Fernández, Levin, Lieu, Lofgren, Lynch, Mannion, Matsui, McBride, McClain Delaney, McClellan, McCollum, McGarvey, McGovern, McIver, Meeks, Meng, Mfume, Moore, Mrvan, Mullin, Nadler, Neal, Neguse, Norcross, Norton, Olszewski, Omar, Pallone, Panetta, Peters, Pingree, Pocan, Pressley, Quigley, Ramirez, Raskin, Rivas, Ruiz, Salinas, Sánchez, Scanlon, Schakowsky, Schneider, Schrier, Scott (GA), Sewell, Sherman, Sherrill, Simon, Smith, Stansbury, Stanton, Stevens, Strickland, Subramanyam, Swalwell, Thanedar, Thompson (MS), Thompson (CA), Titus, Tlaib, Tokuda, Tonko, Torres (CA), Trahan, Underwood, Vargas, Veasey, Velázquez, Wasserman Schultz, Watson Coleman, Williams, and Wilson.
The following statements of support are from leaders of the organizations that have endorsed Rep. Morelle’s Presidential Accountability Amendment:
“The lawless beginning to Trump’s second term has crystalized the necessity of undoing Trump vs. United States,” said Lisa Gilbert, Co-President, Public Citizen. “The President’s norm-breaking and illegal actions have shown us all that he believes he is unfettered by and above our system. We must right the wrong perpetrated by the Roberts court, and reinforce that no one is above the law, even a sitting President. Donald Trump must be held accountable for his actions. Moving Representative Morelle’s constitutional amendment to undo this overreaching decision is essential for the long-term integrity of American democracy.”
“The Trump immunity ruling exposed a radicalized Supreme Court that abandoned the Constitution to protect partisan interests. That disastrous decision struck a severe blow to American democracy and unleashed the authoritarian abuses driving Trump’s second term. Congressman Morelle’s constitutional amendment is a necessary move to rein in unchecked presidential power and make clear that no one—not even Donald Trump—stands above the law. We thank Congressman Morelle for his continued leadership in holding both the president and the Supreme Court accountable,” said Tiffany Muller, President of End Citizens United.
“Trump v. United States was an absolutely lawless decision, premised on the notion that we have a king, not an elected president who works for us, the American people. Rep. Morelle’s amendment is essential to restoring the constitutional principle that no one, including and especially the president, is above the law,” said Svante Myrick, President of People For the American Way.
“The Supreme Court’s dangerous decision from last year grants presidents and former presidents immunity from prosecution for actions related to their constitutional duties -- even if those actions were criminal. This is the opposite of what the Framers intended and antithetical to American democracy,” said Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), Founder and Executive Chair of Democracy Defenders Action. “We thank Congressman Morelle for his leadership to uphold the rule of law, ensure accountability, and guarantee transparency for all Americans, and we urge Congress to pass this constitutional amendment to ensure that no American is above the law.”
“A year ago, the Supreme Court’s right-wing majority ruled that presidents can commit crimes in office and walk away scot-free. They handed Donald Trump a get-out-of-jail-free card that no other American would ever receive – and he’s taken it as a license to follow his worst authoritarian instincts. That’s why Rep. Morelle’s amendment is a necessary stand against presidential impunity and a crucial reform to ensure that in our democracy, no one is above the law,” said Brett Edkins, Managing Director of Policy and Political Affairs, Stand Up America.
“A hallmark of the rule of law is that no person, not even a president, should be above the law. This crucial amendment will bring us closer to realizing that goal,” said David Janovsky, Acting Director and Senior Policy Analyst, The Constitution Project at Project on Government Oversight.
“Rep. Morelle’s Presidential Accountability Amendment is an important affirmation of the longstanding and deeply American principle that nobody is above the law, not even the president. In the absence of this bedrock principle, we have tyranny,” said Erica Newland, Counsel at Protect Democracy.
“We don’t have kings in America, and the Presidency exists to serve the American people, not oneself. But Donald Trump wants one set of rules for himself for his own benefit and another for the rest of us. We demand that Congress come together to right the Supreme Court’s wrong by passing a constitutional amendment that reverses Trump’s so-called immunity and reaffirms equal justice for all. No one is above the law,” said Britt Jacovich, Deputy Communications Director of MoveOn.
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