Over the course of his four years in the White House, former President Donald Trump appointed three Justices to the Supreme Court, establishing a formidable 6-3 conservative majority.
While their actions on abortion and democracy have remained conservative, many of the complaints lobbied by Trump or on his behalf have been too fanciful to win over even a conservative majority.
Such was the case on Tuesday, when the Court denied standing in Trump's effort to block Trump-era White House documents from being turned over to the committee investigating the deadly failed insurrection against the U.S. Capitol last year.
The former President was appealing a lower federal appeals court decision allowing the National Archives to comply with the House Select Committee's subpoenas of schedules, call logs, and other documents relating to January 6. The Supreme Court had already denied granting Trump a stay on that ruling, allowing the National Archives to begin its transfer of documents to the Select Committee.
But an unsigned ruling on Tuesday put a final—and blunt—nail in the case's coffin, when the Court issued this boilerplate ruling:
"The petition for a writ of certiorari is denied."
It's not the first time the Court has stepped out of line with Trump. Amid the former President's lame duck period, when conservative Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton sued multiple swing states Trump lost in an effort to have their electoral college votes invalidated, the Court quickly denied that effort standing as well.
Last year, the Court's ruling ended Trump's years-long battle to conceal his financial records from New York prosecutors.
The Court has also, much to the chagrin of conservatives, upheld most of the Biden administration's vaccine mandates, with the notable exception of OSHA requirements mandating vaccines for businesses with more than 100 employees.
But Trump's critics seemed especially giddy that the former President's efforts to shroud official White House business from that day failed.
Absolutely magnificent. No notes. https://t.co/jD9e5VgF7n
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) February 22, 2022
I love this song! https://t.co/F130ZeCVOy
— Juanita Tolliver (@JuanitaTolliver) February 22, 2022
Not a king, not president 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 https://t.co/qiU9PkY0km
— krista 🍾🥂💃🏼 (@89rulzall) February 23, 2022
Let the games (and rants) begin. https://t.co/ctaQxX9leT
— Rhuta Bhayga (@RhutaBhayga2) February 22, 2022
So much winning.
He must be sick of it. 😂😂 https://t.co/cT2SUvxteB
— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) February 22, 2022
Chalk that up in the lose column again https://t.co/aQAIBKv6oZ
— Boomer Bob was BobA1959 I’m Pissed Off and Angry (@BobNYC59) February 22, 2022
And for a man who requires loyalty above all else, social media users cackled at how "disloyal" Trump's Supreme Court picks have been in cases directly involving the former President.
"his" SCOTUS denied him 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/YuWawjApQM
— Julie Kay 🎶 (@JulieKay0914) February 22, 2022
Trump’s three SCOTUS justices continue to be very disloyal to Trump.
(Because, of course, they were never Trump’s justices. They are Leonard Leo and Mitch McConnell’s justices.) https://t.co/OKLrPmhf7d
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) February 22, 2022
Meanwhile, in other news, the right-wing Supreme Court is creating some more distance between itself and Putin‘s useful idiot.
It’s about time they start summarily rejecting Trump’s baseless legal arguments. https://t.co/XwhcCprkpK
— Christopher, Esq. (@ChrisAlbertoLaw) February 22, 2022
Officials are still analyzing the thousands of documents turned over by the National Archives.
