US: SC to decide Trump's eligibility for 2024 presidential ballots
The United States (US) Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear Donald Trump's appeal against a decision by Colorado's top court that would keep him off the state's presidential primary ballot. The conservative-majority apex court, which includes three justices appointed by the former US president, stated it would hear oral arguments in the high-stakes election case on February 8.
Why does this story matter?
Colorado's top court disqualified Trump from the state primary ballot on December 19 over his role in the January 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters. With this, the 77-year-old became the first candidate in America's history to be deemed "ineligible" for the presidency for engaging in insurrection. However, the former president pledged to appeal the Colorado ruling at the SC and labeled it "undemocratic."
Know about Trump's case against Colorado ruling
Earlier this week, the former US president's lawyers urged the country's top court to hear the suit and "summarily reverse the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling." "The question of eligibility to serve as President of the United States is properly reserved for Congress, not the state courts, to consider and decide," they said on the Colorado ruling.
SC to consider meaning, reach of provision of 14th Amendment
The legal challenges center on whether a Civil War-era constitutional amendment disqualifies Trump from running for president. The Associated Press (AP) reported that SC will consider for the first time the meaning and reach of a provision of the 14th Amendment barring certain individuals who "engaged in insurrection" from holding public office. The amendment was adopted in 1868, following the Civil War, and has been used so rarely that the country's highest court had no earlier occasion to interpret it.
Colorado-like ruling against Trump in Maine
Trump has also challenged a ruling by the top election official in Maine that would keep the 77-year-old off the primary ballot in the state. Trump's attorneys have asked the Maine Superior Court to toss out the ruling by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, calling the Democrat a "biased decision-maker" who was acting "arbitrarily and capriciously." Attempts to disqualify Trump have been rejected by courts in Minnesota and Michigan.
Trump still leading opinion polls despite controversies
While Trump has been indicted in both a federal case and in Georgia for his role in trying to topple the 2020 presidential election results, he has not been charged with insurrection in the US Capitol attack. Despite all the controversies surrounding the former US president, the 77-year-old continues to lead opinion polls in the Republican nomination race for 2024.
