US Supreme Court Unanimously Rejects Colorado Bid To Take Trump Off Primary Ballot

US Supreme Court Unanimously Rejects Colorado Bid To Take Trump Off Primary Ballot

File Photo of former US president Donald Trump

Source : Getty Images

The US Supreme Court has reinstated former president Donald Trump to the 2024 presidential primary ballots, rejecting state efforts to exclude the Republican former president due to his alleged role in the 2021 Capitol riot. In an unsigned opinion issued a day before the Super Tuesday primaries, the justices ruled that states cannot use a post-Civil War constitutional provision to bar presidential candidates from appearing on ballots, news agency AP reported. The court stated that this power resides with Congress.

This outcome ends efforts in Colorado, Illinois, Maine, and elsewhere to kick Trump off the ballot, AP reported.

The case is the court's first involvement with a provision of the 14th Amendment, adopted after the Civil War to prevent former officeholders who "engaged in insurrection" from holding office again, AP's report stated.

Colorado's Supreme Court Ruling On Trump

Colorado's Supreme Court made a groundbreaking ruling, applying Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to Trump, who the court found incited the Capitol attack. This decision was unprecedented for a presidential candidate as no court before had applied Section 3 to a presidential candidate.

Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment disqualifies candidates who have already held a public office from holding "any office" if they participate in an "insurrection or rebellion" against the United States.

As per the AP report, some election observers warned that a ruling requiring congressional action to implement Section 3 could leave the door open to a renewed fight over trying to disqualify Trump.

The timing of the Supreme Court's intervention has raised questions about whether Trump will face trial before the November election. This case is just one of several involving Trump directly or potentially affecting his candidacy, including a case scheduled for arguments in late April regarding criminal prosecution for his role in the Capitol attack.

During the February arguments, conservative and liberal justices questioned the case against Trump, particularly regarding whether the US Congress must act before states can invoke the 14th Amendment, the report stated. Trump's lawyers contended that the amendment could not be used to exclude him from the ballot, citing various arguments.

The decision has been made by a court that includes three justices appointed by Trump. Justice Clarence Thomas, the only member on the bench during the Bush v. Gore case, faced calls to recuse himself due to his wife's support for Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to AP.

The ruling marks the court's most direct involvement in a presidential election since the Bush v. Gore case.

Subscribe And Follow ABP Live On Telegram: https://t.me/officialabplive