Former President Donald Trump is fighting hard and letting the world know it. His latest power move in Washington, D.C., has liberals cringing in their seats.
Trump faces legal challenges in dozens of states where lawsuits are trying to remove him from the 2024 Republican primary ballot ahead of the presidential election. Trump targeted a Colorado case where the state’s highest court barred him from the primary ballot.
The challenges are based on Section 3 in the 14th Amendment being interpreted so that “an officer of the United States” who “engaged in insurrection” can’t run for federal offices. Arguments are that this applies to Trump. His lawyers filed a legal brief urging the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to stop these legal wranglings.
From the Washington Examiner:
“The court should put a swift and decisive end to these ballot-disqualification efforts, which threaten to disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans and which promise to unleash chaos and bedlam if other state courts and state officials follow Colorado’s lead and exclude the likely Republican presidential nominee from their ballots,” Trump’s counsel wrote in their brief.
The Colorado Supreme Court opened this pandora’s box when it ruled on Dec. 19 that the 14th Amendment applies to Trump. Trump faces similar actions trying to bar him from the ballot.
The Democratic secretary of state in Maine determined that Trump was ineligible to appear on the Republican primary ballot using the 14th Amendment. Both the Colorado and Main decisions have been stayed pending the SCOTUS decision. These and other cases around the country are focusing on the claim that Trump participated in an insurrection.
Trump’s lawyers were emphatic in their legal brief that Trump “did not commit or participate in the unlawful acts that occurred at the Capitol.” They urged the high court to not tolerate a “regime that allows a candidate’s eligibility for office to hinge on a trial court’s assessment of dubious expert-witness testimony or claims that President Trump has powers of telepathy.”
The SCOTUS ruling will have widespread effects not only for primary ballots in all states, but the 2024 general election for president. Rulings from courts have been mixed in decisions throughout the states where lawsuits have been filed against Trump using the 14th Amendment.
Trump’s legal position is being backed by dozens of outside groups that have filed similar amicus briefs. The briefs argue why Trump should not be removed from state primary ballots. One of the latest briefs filed includes one this week were 179n Republican members of Congress support Trump’s case.
Key Takeaways:
- Trump calls on the Supreme Court to stop rulings that bar him from ballots.
- Recent decisions have attempted to bar him from some Republican primary ballots in 2024.
- The high court’s ruling could have widespread ramifications in all 50 states.
Source: Washington Examiner
