Donald Trump Challenges State Rulings Barring Him From Ballots
Former President Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to reverse a Colorado ruling that barred him from running for president in that state. The unprecedented decision was made on the grounds that he had engaged in insurrection over the US Capitol riot.
This appeal comes a day after he challenged a similar decision in Maine, and dozens of other lawsuits have been filed in multiple states seeking to disqualify Mr. Trump from the November 2024 ballot.
Mr. Trump’s appeal comes as the Republican primaries in Colorado and Maine are scheduled for Super Tuesday on March 5. The Supreme Court is under growing pressure to act as postal ballots need to be sent out weeks beforehand.
The former president’s legal team is arguing that the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which bans anyone who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding federal office, does not apply to the president. They accuse the Colorado Supreme Court and President Joe Biden of “attempting to remove President Trump.”
The Colorado Supreme Court’s decision was narrow, and all seven justices were appointed by Democratic governors.
The Supreme Court has a conservative majority, with three justices appointed by Donald Trump when he was president. However, Trump’s attorney Alina Habba expressed concern that the conservative-leaning court could rule against him to “shy away from being pro-Trump.”
While Mr. Trump’s alleged efforts to subvert the outcome of the 2020 presidential election are the focus of federal and state trials, Mr. Trump has not been charged with inciting insurrection in either case.
Legal experts said the politically contentious Colorado case puts the Supreme Court in a difficult position, with one calling it “the best outcome” to solve the issue nationally.