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Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson says she was “concerned” about Trump immunity ruling
Washington — Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she was “concerned” about the court’s landmark decision that granted former President Donald Trump immunity from prosecution for official acts he took while in office.
Jackson, in an interview with “CBS Evening News” anchor and managing editor Norah O’Donnell, suggested the ruling gives Trump special treatment compared to anyone else in the criminal justice system.
“I was concerned about a system that appeared to provide immunity for one individual under one set of circumstances, when we have a criminal justice system that had ordinarily treated 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, which was released in July, fell along ideological lines, with the six Republican-appointed justices concluding that former presidents have sweeping legal protections from charges for alleged acts that fell within their official duties. But the Supreme Court rejected Trump’s argument that he has absolute immunity unless impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate.
In her dissent, Jackson wrote that “the court has now declared for the first time in history that the most powerful official in the United States can (under circumstances yet to be fully determined) become a law unto himself.”
The decision stalled 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 superseding indictment against Trump, narrowing the allegations after the Supreme Court ruling the former president was immune from prosecution for some of the conduct detailed in the original indictment.
Asked whether she was prepared for cases relating to the upcoming election to end up before the Supreme Court, Jackson replied that she is “as prepared as anyone can be.”
“I think there are legal issues that arise out of the political process. And so, the Supreme Court has to be prepared to respond – if – if that should be necessary,” she said.
Watch more of Norah O’Donnell’s interview with Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on “CBS News Sunday Morning.”
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.