The United States Supreme Court decided on Friday to hear Donald Trump's appeal of the court's judgement that barred him from voting in Colorado's Republican primary, taking up a politically contentious issue with enormous ramifications for the 2024 presidential race, news agency Reuters reported. The Colorado Supreme Court's Dec. 19 order banning Trump from the state's primary vote was based on a ruling in the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution for engaging in insurrection, concerning the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol.
The justices moved quickly to hear the matter. Trump, the Republican frontrunner for the nomination to face Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 5 election, filed his appeal on Wednesday. The judges signalled that they will make a ruling quickly, scheduling oral arguments on February 8. The Republican primary in Colorado is set for March 5.
The state court, acting in response to a challenge against Trump by Republican and unaffiliated voters in Colorado, ruled that he was ineligible for the presidency under a constitutional provision that prohibits anybody who has "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" from holding public office, thereby removing him off the primary ballot.
The Colorado Republican Party's separate appeal of the state court's verdict was denied by the United States Supreme Court.
Trump has also filed an appeal with a Maine state court over a decision by the state's top election official to exclude him off the primary ballot using the identical constitutional clause at issue in Colorado.
The Colorado lawsuit thrusts the Supreme Court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three justices selected by Trump, into an unusual and highly charged effort by his opponents to invalidate his campaign to retake the presidency.
Trump's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, praised the court's decision to hear the case, calling the disqualification efforts "part of a well-funded effort by left-wing political activists hell-bent on stopping President Trump's lawful re-election this November, even if it means disenfranchising voters."
Jena Griswold, Secretary of State of Colorado, stated that citizens in her state and throughout the country "deserve clarity on whether someone who engaged in insurrection may run for the country's highest office."
"We're glad that the Supreme Court will definitively decide whether Donald Trump can be on the ballot," said Noah Bookbinder, head of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog organisation supporting Trump's opponents, adding "We look forward to presenting our case and ensuring the Constitution is upheld."
Many Republicans have condemned the disqualification effort as electoral meddling, while supporters of disqualification argue that holding Trump lawfully accountable for an insurgency promotes democratic norms. Trump is facing criminal charges in two cases linked to his efforts to reverse his loss to Biden in the 2020 election.