in that case, justice lewis powell says that the president cannot be held civilly liable for the actions undertaken in the course of his office. but that doesn't mean the president won't be held accountable. he talks about the prospect of impeachment being a check on the predent, the media and media coverage of the president being a check, the prospect of the president caring about his legacy being a check. all of these things, he argues, will instill in a president the desire to behave, to conduct himself in the manner that the office demands and deserves. and when i read that part of the opinion to my students now, this is after two trump impeachments both failed, they laugh. like, they literally laugh at the prospect of impeachment being an adequate check on the president, about the president caring about his legacy. - well, those are political checks and balances. how about the legal checks and balances really from the court? because he has been held accountable by civil courts. - yes. - are the courts the only place that can hold the executive accountable? - i think the framers of t