Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf
Page Number: 32

24 

TRUMP v. UNITED STATES 

Opinion of the Court 

Interest Problems Arising Out of the President’s Nomina-
tion  of  Nelson  A.  Rockefeller  To  Be  Vice  President  Under 
the  Twenty-Fifth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution  2  (Aug.
28,  1974).  With  respect  to  the  certification  proceeding  in
particular, Congress has legislated extensively to define the
Vice President’s role in the counting of the electoral votes, 
see, e.g., 3 U. S. C. §15, and the President plays no direct 
constitutional or statutory role in that process.  So the Gov-
ernment  may  argue  that  consideration  of  the  President’s 
communications  with  the  Vice  President  concerning  the 
certification proceeding does not pose “dangers of intrusion
on  the  authority  and  functions  of  the  Executive  Branch.” 
Fitzgerald, 457 U. S., at 754; see supra, at 14. 

At the same time, however, the President may frequently
rely on the Vice President in his capacity as President of the 
Senate  to  advance  the  President’s  agenda  in  Congress. 
When the Senate is closely divided, for instance, the Vice
President’s tiebreaking vote may be crucial for confirming
the President’s nominees and passing laws that align with 
the President’s policies.  Applying a criminal prohibition to
the President’s conversations discussing such matters with 
the  Vice  President—even  though  they  concern  his  role  as 
President  of  the  Senate—may  well  hinder  the  President’s
ability to perform his constitutional functions.

It  is  ultimately  the  Government’s  burden  to  rebut  the 
presumption of immunity.  We therefore remand to the Dis-
trict Court to assess in the first instance, with appropriate
input  from  the  parties,  whether  a  prosecution  involving 
Trump’s alleged attempts to influence the Vice President’s
oversight of the certification proceeding in his capacity as
President of the Senate would pose any dangers of intrusion
on the authority and functions of the Executive Branch. 

3 
The  indictment’s  remaining  allegations  cover  a  broad
range  of  conduct.    Unlike  the  allegations  describing