The Supreme Court just gave presidents a superpower. Here’s its explanation

A version of this story appears in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.

CNN —

With its immunity ruling on Monday, the Supreme Court granted former President Donald Trump’s wish of all but guaranteeing that his criminal trial for trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election will not go to trial before the 2024 election in November.

It also granted presidents in general a definitive “absolute immunity” from prosecution for core official acts and said presidents should be presumed immune for a much more expansive list of acts.

Members of the media and public watch as the US Supreme Court reads opinions on July 1 in Washington, DC.

Related article Takeaways from the Supreme Court’s historic decision granting Donald Trump immunity

In the view of the majority comprised of the six conservative justices on the court, the decision does not place presidents in general, and Trump in particular, above the law. But the three liberals dissented with a warning about how elevating a president will affect American democracy.

The decision has the near-term result of delaying Trump’s trial while a court in Washington, DC, considers which criminal activity that Trump is accused of can be considered “unofficial.” It also has the long-term effect of placing presidents in a different system of justice than other Americans.

Here are key lines from a landmark ruling:

What is this new immunity?

Chief Justice John Roberts explains it in the majority opinion as including absolute immunity for some actions and a presumption of immunity for others.

We conclude that under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power requires that a former President