According to The Ultimate News, the United States Supreme Court has granted former President Donald Trump the right to appear on the ballot in Colorado, overturning a previous state order that barred him from running due to his alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
This ruling comes after months of intense debate over whether Trump violated the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist clause,” casting doubt on his bid for the Republican nomination. The court’s unanimous decision to allow Trump to remain on the ballot is a significant victory for the former President, as it eliminates one of the numerous legal challenges that have plagued his ongoing campaign against President Joe Biden.
However, it is important to note that the Supreme Court’s decision has no bearing on the four ongoing criminal cases against Trump, including a federal election subversion case that involves some of the same conduct as the January 6, 2021 incident, as reported by The Ultimate News.
While the court agreed that Trump could not be removed from the ballot unilaterally, it disagreed on the decision’s broader implications. A 5-4 majority ruled that no state had the authority to remove a federal candidate from any ballot, with four justices emphasizing the need for a more limited viewpoint.
In a social media post, Donald Trump expressed his elation over the ruling, calling it a “big win” for the country. “BIG WIN FOR AMERICA!!!” Trump declared.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a liberal group that filed the lawsuit on behalf of Republican voters, criticized the Supreme Court decision. Despite acknowledging the dismissal of Colorado’s insurrection language, the group argued that the ruling was “in no way a win for Trump,” as it failed to clear him of the January 6 events.
“The Supreme Court had the opportunity in this case to exonerate Trump, and they chose not to do so. Every court – or decision-making body – that has substantively examined the issue has determined that January 6th was an insurrection and that Donald Trump incited it. That remains true today,” the group stated. Notably, the Supreme Court’s ruling does not directly address whether Trump’s actions on January 6 qualify as a “insurrection,” avoiding a contentious issue that the Colorado courts had grappled with.
The five-justice majority, which included Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh, argued that states cannot remove federal officers from the ballot, particularly the president, unless Congress passes legislation.
“We conclude that states may disqualify individuals holding or attempting to hold state office. However, states have no constitutional authority to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, particularly the Presidency,” according to the ruling, as reported by The Ultimate News.
However, four justices disagreed on the scope of the decision. In a concurring opinion, Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote that the majority opinion “shuts the door on other potential means of federal enforcement.”
In a separate concurring opinion, Justice Amy Coney Barrett stated that the case “does not require us to address the complicated question of whether federal legislation is the exclusive vehicle through which Section 3 can be enforced.”