NORTH TEXAS — Texas congressmen's reactions to the U.S. Supreme Court's historic ruling on presidential immunity run along party lines.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin told CBS News Texas he was concerned. “This is an extremely troubling decision.”

Republican U.S. Representative Pat Fallon of North Texas' 4th Congressional District praised the decision in an interview. “As an American, I think they did exactly the right thing,” Fallon said.

The Supreme Court's ruling came as former President Donald Trump faces criminal charges for attempting to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election.

The ruling narrowed the case against Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and legal experts say his criminal trial is unlikely to take place before the November election.

The court's 6-3 decision said the president cannot be prosecuted for carrying out his constitutional duties and enjoys “presumptive immunity” from prosecution for his official acts.

However, the six conservatives also ruled that the president was not entitled to such immunity for unofficial acts.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a dissenting opinion, signed by the court's other two liberals, saying the ruling “makes a mockery of the principle that no one is above the law.”

Congressman Doggett joined Justice Sotomayor's dissent. “I think this is really a giant step towards dictatorship. I don't think that's too strong a word when you read Justice Sotomayor's strong dissent where she talks about her fear for democracy.”

Congressman Fallon contradicted Doggett, saying, “I don't know many people, if anyone, who want the President to be above the law and be able to commit criminal acts just because he or she is in office. At the same time, we want to protect the President when he or she is carrying out his or her official duties.”

Doggett said he believes the ruling will increase the importance of November's presidential election. “We have had nearly 250 years of American democracy that lacked the important checks and balances, and that suggests that the president will become an all-powerful strongman if there is a president who wants that.”

Fallon rejected that argument, saying criticism of the former president was unjustified. “This is complete fear-mongering, quite frankly, I mean, this is just absolutely ridiculous,” Fallon said. “I remember the fear-mongering in 2016 that he was going to lead us into World War III. Russia was going to control him and oddly enough, he's the only president since Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia who hasn't had any new military adventures.”

In response to the ruling, Trump posted an all-caps statement on his social media platform calling the ruling a “great victory for our Constitution and democracy. I am proud to be an American.”

The Biden-Harris campaign team said: “Democracy is at stake, and President Biden and Vice President Harris stand ready to defend it.”

The Supreme Court has remanded the criminal case against Trump to the federal judge overseeing the case in Washington, DC.

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