A Pennsylvania state judge has ruled that an election worker cannot sue President Donald Trump over statements he made about the 2020 election while in office because the statements are protected by presidential immunity.
Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael Erdos said Trump’s immunity covered a tweet he issued and comments he made during a Pennsylvania state Senate committee hearing in November 2020.
Judge Erdos said in his ruling:
“Other legal proceedings may examine the propriety of his statements and actions while he was the President and whether, as the plaintiffs in this and other cases contend, it was this conduct which served as the actual threat to our democracy.
“But this case is not the proper place to do so.
“Here, Trump is entitled to Presidential immunity.”
“Here, then-President Trump’s Gettysburg remarks and his tweet were public,” Erdos wrote.
“Moreover, the topic of these statements—claims from third parties and the President himself about irregularities in the Presidential election which on their face called into question the integrity of the election and whether now-President Joseph Biden had been duly elected—was undoubtedly a matter of great public concern.”
Donald Trump’s lawyer says he wants the January 6 trial to be televised. Excellent. Let’s do this and show the world what American justice looks like.https://t.co/7Lo1Pcm2Mc
— Neal Katyal (@neal_katyal) August 4, 2023
Trump’s legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said:
“We are pleased with the Court’s decision to honor the long-standing principle of Presidential Immunity.
“Today, the Court made it clear that it is well within the President’s discretion to address the integrity of our election without fear of liability.
“We expect that the rest of Mr. Savage’s claims will similarly be disposed of as they are without merit.”
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