By Nick Robertson - 07/04/24

The family of a police officer who died after responding to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots warned that the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision this week should “frighten” Americans.

The Supreme Court issued a landmark decision Monday that granted presidents broad legal protections, ruling that they have “absolute” immunity for “core” constitutional actions and “implied” immunity for official acts. The decision will have massive ramifications for special counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case against Trump, in which the former president faces multiple criminal charges over his actions in the leadup to Jan. 6.

Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick suffered two strokes and died a day after the riots, during which he was attacked and sprayed with a chemical irritant. His death has been connected to the attack by the Washington, D.C., medical examiner.

His brother, Craig Sicknick, argued in a letter reviewed by CBS News that the Supreme Court’s ruling could have negative implications for the whole country.

“The recent decision by the [Supreme Court] was appalling and should frighten every citizen of the United States,” Sicknick wrote, adding that his family has “been through hell” due to the riots.

“The courts of the United States are supposed to rule on punishment of people who broke the laws of our country, regardless of color, gender, wealth, political position, fame, and any other differences we may have as individuals,” he wrote. “We have learned once again that this concept is false with the very wealthy literally getting away with whatever they want.”

Democrats have blasted the court’s decision as potentially allowing a president to break the law without consequence. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor warned that the decision could embolden a corrupt executive to lash out against political opponents — even with violence — without being able to be held accountable.

Sicknick warned in the letter that the decision could mark a point of no return for the country.

“It is possible the damage that has been done to our nation by Trump may heal and we might move forward towards a better, stronger nation, but it is also very possible that this decision has doomed ‘The Great Experiment’ that was the United States of America,” he wrote.