 He says of our first president, George Washington. He believed power was limited, not absolute. And that power always resides with the people. Always. Now, over 200 years later, today's Supreme Court decision, once again, it will depend on the character of the men and women who hold that presidency that are going to define the limits of the power of the presidency. The Supreme Court has ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution proceedings.