4th March, 2024
The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled that former President, Donald Trump should appear on the ballot in Colorado.
The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in favour of Trump. According to the CNN, it is a decision with nationwide implications that followed months of debate over whether the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination violated the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist clause” because of his role in the January 6, 2021, riot.
The court was unanimous on the idea Trump could not be unilaterally removed from the ballot, but justices were divided on how broadly the decision would sweep.
A 5-4 majority said no state could dump a federal candidate off any ballot, but four justices asserted that the court should have limited its opinion.
Colorado had barred Trump from its Republican primary, arguing he incited the 2021 Capitol riot but the court ruled that only Congress, rather than the states, had that power.
According to the BBC, The unanimous ruling is specific to Colorado, but it also overrides challenges brought in other states
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said she is “disappointed” by the Supreme Court’s decision that Colorado cannot disqualify Trump from its presidential primary.
According to Griswold the ruling stripped states of the authority to enforce Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
She said Colorado should be able to bar oath-breaking insurrections from its ballot, while defending the legal procedures in Colorado that disqualified Trump.