In 1215, the English sealed a pact with their king.  He would be under the law because the law made the king.  Magna Carta is the foundation of the rule of law.  No one is above the law.  All are equal before it.  The Romans never got this; the French botched it in 1789; and the rest have been at best patchy.  Yet it is fundamental to our notion of civilisation.

A majority of the U S Supreme Court – put crudely, three stooges and two misfits –  now think differently.  Their President has immunity from prosecution when acting officially.  Is he acting in the discharge of his office when seeking to subvert what he is sworn to uphold?

How could this happen?  They have no separate bar and this is reflected in the character and standing of their judiciary.  And the respect they give to academe lets in ideology.   In the result, crude politicking violates both history and sense.

And even hard cases like Justices Clarence and Alito should know that appearances matter.