The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Monday morning that former President Donald Trump must be reinstated on the Colorado ballot, overturning an unprecedented decision from the state’s high court last year. The ruling, which comes just one day before the Colorado Republican primary on Super Tuesday, also effectively ends ballot challenges against Trump in Illinois, Maine, and several other states.
In the 9-0 ruling, the Supreme Court Justices determined that Congress alone, not state judiciaries, has the right to enforce the “Insurrection Clause” of the 14th Amendment, a Civil War-era provision that formed the backbone of the Colorado challenge.
As Valuetainment previously reported, the Colorado Supreme Court issued a 4-3 ruling in December determining that Trump’s role in the January 6th Capitol riot constituted an insurrection against the US government and disqualified him from holding office under the amendment’s regulations.
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Following this decision, nearly 30 states saw similar efforts to kick Trump off their ballots. While challenges in Florida, Michigan, California, and most others failed, motions in Maine and Illinois succeeded. Both of these decisions were put on pause almost immediately pending the Supreme Court’s decision on the Colorado case.
Oral arguments on the case began on February 8th, and while the decision took weeks to arrive, most of the Justices indicated early on that they doubted the validity of Colorado’s decision.
“The judgment of the Colorado Supreme Court … cannot stand,” the Court’s unsigned opinion read. “All nine Members of the Court agree with that result…States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency.”
This decision marks the first time the Court has taken up the issue of applying the 14th Amendment, and it effectively ends the ability of Illinois, Maine, or any other state to remove Trump from the ballot. However, according to election experts, it also now opens the door for a Democrat-controlled Congress to invoke the Amendment and refuse to certify the 2024 election in Trump’s favor should he win. The issue would then return to the Court, this time during a full-blown constitutional crisis.
Related: Donald Trump Wins Missouri and Idaho Caucuses, Nikki Haley Wins DC Swamp
Celebrating the decision, former President Trump declared it a “BIG WIN FOR AMERICA!!!” on Truth Social.
Separately, the Court has agreed to hear arguments over whether Trump can invoke presidential immunity in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal election interference case. Oral arguments for the case are scheduled to begin on April 22, leaving it unclear whether Smith would be able to bring the case to trial before the November election should the Court rule in his favor.
The full ruling from the Supreme Court can be read below:
Supreme-Court-Reinstates-Trump-on-Colorado-BallotDownload
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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