Biden says court verdict on Trump undermines rule of law

Joe Biden has described as a "dangerous precedent" a Supreme Court ruling giving former President Donald Trump partial immunity from criminal prosecution.

The current US president said the judgement undermined the "rule of law" and was "a terrible disservice" to Americans. Earlier, Trump hailed the court's decision as a "big win" for democracy. The justices found on Monday that a president had immunity for "official acts" but was not immune for "unofficial acts", and referred the matter back to a trial judge.

The judgement will further delay the criminal case against Trump for allegedly trying to subvert the 2020 election result that gave victory to Mr Biden. The trial judge must now determine which actions were carried out in Trump's capacity as president, which could take months. Any trial is unlikely to start before November's presidential election.

In a televised statement late on Monday, President Biden said: "This nation was founded on the principle that there are no kings in America. Each of us is equal before the law. No one, no one is above the law. Not even the president of the United States.