Washington - A federal appeals court on
Friday threw out a lawsuit brought by Democratic lawmakers that
accused Donald Trump of violating anti-corruption provisions in
the US Constitution with his business dealings, capping a week
of political victories for the Republican president.
A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the more than
210 House of Representatives and Senate Democrats lacked the
required legal standing to bring the case, reversing a lower
court judge's decision that had allowed the case to proceed.
Two days after being acquitted by the Senate in his
impeachment trial, Trump hailed the ruling as a "total win,"
telling reporters that "it was another phony case." Elizabeth
Wydra, a lawyer for the lawmakers, said they were disappointed
in the decision and were weighing their next steps.
Trump still faces two similar lawsuits pending in other
courts that also accuse him of violating the Constitution's
rarely tested "emoluments" clauses that bar presidents from
taking gifts or payments from foreign and state governments.
The lawsuits all have focused on his ownership of the Trump
International Hotel in Washington, just blocks from the White
House. The hotel, opened by Trump shortly before he was elected
in 2016, has become a favored lodging and event space for some
foreign and state officials visiting Washington.
The ruling came during a week of positives for Trump as he
seeks re-election on Nov. 3. He previewed election themes in his
State of the Union address on Tuesday, benefited from the
chaotic aftermath of Monday's Democratic presidential nomination
contest in Iowa, and was given a lift by Friday's strong jobs
report.
Reuters/Ipsos polling shows that Trump's approval rating has
been largely unchanged by impeachment, with 42 percent of
Americans approving of his performance as president.
Unlike past presidents, Trump - a wealthy real estate
developer-turned politician, has retained ownership of his
business interests while serving in the White House. The
emoluments lawsuits have accused him of making himself
vulnerable to bribery by foreign governments.
In the case dismissed on Friday, the appeals court decided
that it was bound by Supreme Court rulings that have limited the
ability of individual members of Congress to litigate questions
that affect the legislative branch as a whole.
The Democratic lawmakers "can, and likely will, continue to
use their weighty voices to make their case to the American
people, their colleagues in the Congress and the President
himself," the three-judge panel wrote. "But we will not - indeed
we cannot - participate in this debate."
One of the two other emoluments lawsuits against Trump,
brought by the Democratic attorneys general for the District of
Columbia and Maryland, is awaiting a ruling by the Richmond,
Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last
year revived the other emoluments lawsuit, which was brought by
a public interest advocacy group, Citizens for Responsibility
and Ethics in Washington.
At least one of those cases could end up being decided by
the U.S. Supreme Court, according to legal experts.