In a landmark legal victory for former President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Monday that he can remain on the election ballot in Colorado, despite efforts by a group of states to exclude him from the 2024 presidential race following the events of January 6.
“I want to start by thanking the Supreme Court for its unanimous decision today. It was a very important decision, were very well crafted, and I think it will go a long way toward bringing our country together, which our country needs,” Trump said. “And they worked long, they worked hard, and frankly, they worked very quickly on something that will be spoken about 100 years from now and 200 years from now. Extremely important.”
Trump
This decision, coming just 24 hours before 15 states participate in Super Tuesday voting, dealt a significant blow to the states’ attempts to remove Trump from the ballot. Reacting immediately to the ruling, Trump took to his Truth Social network, declaring it a “BIG WIN FOR AMERICA!!!” He also characterized the decision as “unifying” and “inspirational.”
“I think it’s a very big day for America. I think it’s a very big day for liberty.”
Trump
The 9-0 decision by the conservative-majority court ensures that Trump’s name will appear on voting slips in the Colorado Republican primary, effectively thwarting similar efforts in other states such as Illinois and Maine. These efforts aimed to disqualify Trump from running in the 2024 general election based on claims that his conduct on January 6 constituted “insurrection.”
With this legal hurdle cleared, Trump, aged 77, advances closer to a potential rematch with President Joe Biden in the November general election. The Supreme Court’s decision overturned a previous ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court, which had disqualified Trump from the state ballot under the so-called “insurrection clause” of the 14th Amendment.
This clause, originating from the Civil War era, prohibits individuals who have “engaged in insurrection” from holding federal office. However, the U.S. Supreme Court emphasized that only Congress has the authority to decide a candidate’s eligibility under this provision.
In a statement, the Colorado Republican Party praised the decision, denouncing the attempt to remove Trump from the ballot as “ridiculous election interference” and affirming the right of every American to vote for their preferred candidate.
While the Supreme Court was united in allowing Trump’s presence on the Colorado ballot, there was division among the justices regarding the broader implications of the decision. A narrow 5-4 majority asserted that no state could remove a federal candidate from any ballot, while four justices advocated for a more limited opinion.
Trump’s dominance in the Republican primaries, with only Nikki Haley winning a single contest in Washington D.C., underscores the significance of this legal victory as he seeks to secure his position as the frontrunner.
The lawsuit in Colorado, filed by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), accused Trump of insurrection due to his role in the January 6th riots on Capitol Hill. However, the Supreme Court’s decision effectively quashes this legal effort and ends a broader campaign by leftist activists to prevent Trump from running in 2024.
Despite persistent efforts by Colorado’s Secretary of State Jena Griswold to bar Trump from the ballot, the Supreme Court’s skepticism during oral arguments in February foreshadowed this decisive ruling. With three justices—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—nominated by Trump himself, the court’s decision reaffirms Trump’s standing in the 2024 presidential race.
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In response to the opinion, Colorado’s Secretary of State Jena Griswold released a statement on Monday, affirming, “The United States Supreme Court has determined that states lack the authority to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment for federal candidates.”
Griswold clarified, “In light of this decision, Donald Trump qualifies as an eligible candidate on Colorado’s 2024 Presidential Primary ballot.”
Meanwhile, Trump shared his reaction to the ruling on Truth Social, declaring, “BIG WIN FOR AMERICA!!!”