Donald Trump Live Updates: US Supreme Court will decide whether Donald Trump can stay on the ballot.
Donald Trump’s lawyers will present their case to the United States Supreme Court on Thursday, hoping to keep him on state presidential ballots despite his alleged involvement in the 2021 Capitol attack. The nine justices, three of whom were appointed by Trump, are scheduled to hear arguments on his appeal of a lower court’s decision to disqualify him from Colorado’s Republican primary ballot under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.
The lower court ruled that Trump’s involvement in the insurrection violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits people who have participated in insurrection or rebellion from holding public office. Despite the serious consequences for the November election,
Trump is not expected to appear at the 10 a.m. ET (1500 GMT) arguments. Instead, he plans to start his day in Florida and then travel to Nevada, where a nominating caucus will be held on Thursday night, with Trump expected to win as he moves closer to securing the Republican nomination for the November 5 race against Democratic President Joe Biden.
The case calls on the Supreme Court to play a central role in a presidential election unlike any other since its landmark Bush v. Gore decision, which gave Republican George W. Bush the presidency over Democrat Al Gore in 2000.
The Dec. 19 ruling by Colorado’s highest court came amid a larger – and mostly unsuccessful – effort by anti-Trump forces to disqualify him in more than two dozen other states for his actions in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Maine has also barred him from the ballot, a decision that has been put on hold until the Supreme Court rules in the Colorado case.