The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled former Donald Trump cannot be banned from Colorado ballots. The decision overturns a Colorado ruling that said he engaged in an insurrection and likely applies to all other state ballot challenges.
In a unanimous decision, the nation’s high court said the Colorado Supreme Court was wrong to rule that Trump is disqualified from appearing on ballots in Colorado. The Colorado court used a broad interpretation of the 14th Amendment, a Civil War-era U.S. amendment to the Consitution that was meant to keep those who actively fought on behalf of Confederate states from holding federal office. Maine’s Democratic secretary of state made a similar decision soon after the Colorado ruling, and a judge in Illinois last week moved to keep trump off that state’s November ballot.
The decision said that “States have no power under the Constitution to” enforce the provision disqualifying people from federal office if they engaged in insurrection, “especially the Presidency.” In making the ruling, the court has effectively shut down all state challenges to Trump appearing on the 2024 ballot.
Trump’s legal team had asked the Supreme Court to fast-track its decision ahead of Super Tuesday which is Tuesday. Trump is expected to win most primaries on Tuesday.
The Colorado court was the first in more than 150 years to invoke the amendment proving, say critics, that it was only intended to deal with the aftermath of post-Civil War elections.
This is the very first time the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
Trump had earlier posted to social media about the case adding that he is “not an insurrectionist.” The former President pointed to extensive videos showing him on Jan. 6 told supporters to protest “peacefully and patriotically” before several hundred protesters entered the U.S. Capitol during the certification of electoral votes for the 2020 election.
Colorado and other states alleged that Trump was an insurrectionist because of the Capitol breach. Trump, however, was never charged or convicted of insurrection and the current charges by a federal special counsel does not mention insurrection, rebellion, or related charges.
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
Photo of Trump:
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
