In denying Colorado’s attempt to strike Donald Trump from the state’s Republican primary ballot, the US Supreme Court has given the former president a significant win in the pursuit of his party’s candidacy.
Colorado had banned Trump using the US Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which forbids someone from holding public office if they have taken part in an insurrection. The justices on Monday unanimously overturned this Colorado Supreme Court ruling from December 19 that had removed Trump off the ballot.
Supreme Court Ruling
Trump’s opponents have said that he attempted to rig the 2020 presidential election which Democrat Joe Biden won and Trump lost by encouraging and endorsing the attack on the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021. Following the US Supreme Court’s ruling, the former president and front-runner of the Republican presidential candidacy commented on his Truth Social platform, “HUGE WIN FOR AMERICA!!!”
However, the conservative-majority US Supreme Court stated on Monday that only Congress has the authority to impose the clause barring candidates and federal officeholders. “We conclude that states have the authority to reject candidates or incumbents for state office especially Presidency.”
However, the top US court stated in an unsigned ruling that states lack the authority under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 about federal posts, including the presidency.
Due to the 14th Amendment, Trump was also disqualified from running for office in Maine and Illinois; however, those rulings were postponed until after the US Supreme Court’s judgment in the Colorado case.
Challenges Surrounding Trump’s Candidacy
While the ruling by the US Supreme Court was predicted, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher said on Monday afternoon from West Palm Beach, Florida, that it nonetheless represents “a win” for President Trump. “If he wins the Republican presidential nominating contest, it means he will be on the ballots in all 50 states come November,” Fisher stated.
In the Colorado lawsuit, a group of six voters—two independents and four Republicans—had filed a legal challenge to Trump’s candidacy, portraying him as a danger to democracy and attempting to hold him responsible for the Capitol disturbance.
Supporters of the former president spearheaded the 2021 effort in an attempt to prevent Congress from recognizing Biden’s electoral triumph. A liberal watchdog organization called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) supported the plaintiffs from Colorado.
CREW President Noah Bookbinder said in a statement on Monday that by allowing Trump to return to the election, the US Supreme Court had “failed to meet the moment.” However, Bookbinder contended that the decision is “in no way a win for Trump.” He declared, “The Supreme Court had the chance to clear Trump in this case, but they decided not to.”
“Every court, or decision-making body, that has thoroughly investigated the matter has concluded that Donald Trump was the instigator of the January 6th uprising. That still holds now. Jena Griswold, the secretary of state for Colorado, expressed her disappointment with the Supreme Court’s decision, saying it denied US states the authority to uphold the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment.
She posted on X, “Colorado should be able to bar oath-breaking insurrections from our ballot.”Due to his attempts to sway the 2020 election, Trump is facing two different criminal cases: one in federal court in Washington, DC, and another in state court in Georgia. He has refuted any misconduct and charged that the prosecution is waging a politically driven witch hunt in an attempt to sabotage his reelection bid.
