Politics
BREAKING: Supreme Court Overturns Decision To Remove Trump From Ballot
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday struck down attempts by Colorado, Illinois, and other liberal states to keep former President Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot, handing down a ruling that cements the Republican’s pathway to a general election showdown with President Joe Biden.
In December, the Colorado State Supreme Court ruled that President Trump was guilty of “insurrection” under a clause of the 14th Amendment, making him ineligible to return to the Oval Office. That ruling was quickly appealed by Trump’s team, and the following month the Supreme Court promised a fresh and expeditious review. The decision was unanimous, with all liberal justices siding with the conservative majority.
A brief explanation on the ruling concludes that only Congress has the power to decide if Trump is guilty of insurrection.
BREAKING: States may not unilaterally disqualify Donald Trump from the ballot, the Supreme Court rules unanimously..
Only Congress can decide. pic.twitter.com/frmq3pXN0t
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) March 4, 2024
“We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency,” the Court wrote according to Fox News.
With today’s decision, the high court has invalidated attempts by lower courts and Democratic officials in Illinois, Maine, and elsewhere to kick Trump from the ballot, citing statements and actions surrounding the January 6th, 2021 riots at the Capitol. President Trump has maintained that his statements were protected free speech and that he encouraged peaceful protests that day.
Colorado’s Democratic secretary of state was quick to acquiesce upon the news, saying in a statement that, “the United States Supreme Court has ruled that states do not have the authority to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment for federal candidates.”
“In accordance with this decision, Donald Trump is an eligible candidate on Colorado’s 2024 Presidential Primary,” she said.
In a statement on Truth Social, the 45th president celebrated the decision, writing “Big win for America!” to his 6.6 million followers.
BREAKING: Former President Donald Trump reacts after Supreme Court grants him victory, ruling unanimously 9-0 that he cannot be kicked off 2024 ballot in Colorado. Developing details on this story. https://t.co/7CcK5MSxGH pic.twitter.com/Y4H0YlEavu
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 4, 2024
Over more than two hours, the justices debated the merits of plaintiffs’ allegations that Trump was ineligible, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh saying that he and his colleagues face “difficult questions” to answer.
“When you look at Section 3, the term insurrection jumps out,” Kavanaugh said. “And the questions are, what does that mean? How do you define it? Who decides? Who decides whether someone engaged in it?”
He added that precedent from 1869, known as “Griffin’s case,” found that an act of Congress was necessary to prevent an insurrectionist from holding federal office.