The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear Donald Trump’s appeal against a Colorado Supreme Court ruling that prevented him from appearing on the Republican presidential primary ballot in the state. The oral arguments for this high-stakes election case are scheduled for February 8. The Colorado Supreme Court had barred Trump from the primary ballot due to his role in the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol.
Trump’s lawyers argue that this case raises questions about the judiciary preventing voters from casting ballots for a leading major-party presidential candidate, a situation unprecedented in US history. They assert that the eligibility to serve as President is a matter for Congress, not state courts.
In addition to the Colorado case, Trump has appealed a ruling by the top election official in Maine that would keep him off the primary ballot in that state. Both the Colorado Supreme Court and the Maine secretary of state ruled Trump ineligible for the primary ballot based on the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. Section Three of the 14th Amendment prohibits individuals who engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” from holding public office.
Similar challenges to Trump’s eligibility under the 14th Amendment have been filed in other states, with Minnesota and Michigan courts ruling in favor of his inclusion on the ballot. The outcome of these legal battles holds significant implications for Trump’s potential 2024 presidential run.
Meanwhile, Trump faces other legal challenges, including a trial in Washington in March for conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election and racketeering charges in Georgia related to alleged attempts to upend the election results in the southern state.
Maine and Colorado are set to hold their presidential nominating contests on March 5, also known as “Super Tuesday,” alongside more than a dozen other states.
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