Some Democrats — most notably Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — are willing to take things into their own hands after the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that former President Donald Trump can claim immunity from criminal prosecution for some of the things he did as president.
As a result, it’s possible that the case accusing him of plotting to subvert the 2020 presidential election will be delayed... again.
Shortly after the ruling was made public, AOC wrote on X, “The Supreme Court has become consumed by a corruption crisis beyond its control. Today’s ruling represents an assault on American democracy.”
“It is up to Congress to defend our nation from this authoritarian capture. I intend on filing articles of impeachment upon our return.”
While AOC alone is just one Congress member and alone does not have the power to impeach the conservative Supreme Court justices, her promise to file articles of impeachment could lead to them being removed.
For a justice to be removed, the first step is for someone from the House of Representatives to bring articles of impeachment against them, and then the rest of the House must vote on the articles.
If the House approves the articles brought forward by a majority vote, that official will be impeached. But that still won’t be the end of it: The U.S. Senate now has to get involved and hold an impeachment trial; if the federal official is found guilty, they will officially be removed from office.
While this sounds like an easy process, only one justice has been successfully impeached in the history of the United States: Samuel Chase in 1805. Though he was impeached by the House of Representatives, he was later acquitted by the U.S. Senate, according to the Supreme Court.
So while AOC’s conviction sounds strong, it’ll be a long road for her to slow down The Supreme Court’s “corruption.”