Judge Dismisses Suit Against Trump Over Business Dealings
“In short, unless and until Congress speaks on this issue, plaintiffs’ foreign Emoluments Clause claims are not ripe for adjudication.”
In a statement, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit legal watchdog group
that initiated the lawsuit, called the ruling “a setback.” But Noah Bookbinder, the organization’s executive director, said, “We will not walk away from this serious and ongoing constitutional violation
WASHINGTON — In a legal victory for the Trump administration, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit on Thursday
that accused President Trump of violating the Constitution by continuing to own and profit from his business empire.
By taking advantage of his official position, the lawsuit said, Mr. Trump violated clauses of the Constitution
that prohibit a president from accepting any government-bestowed benefits, or emoluments, either at home or abroad.
Were that the case, Judge Daniels said, the Constitution would not have given Congress the power to allow a president
to receive a foreign gift or benefit without considering how the president’s business rivals might be affected.
Judge George B. Daniels of United States District Court in Manhattan found
that the plaintiffs had failed to show that they had suffered as a result of specific actions by Mr. Trump intended to drum up business for his enterprises.
Judge Daniels also said that it was up to Congress, not the courts, to decide whether Mr. Trump
had violated the Constitution by accepting a gift or benefit from a foreign government.
