The US Supreme Court has agreed to consider Donald Trump’s appeal against a Colorado court ruling that prevented his inclusion on the state’s presidential primary ballot.
In this high-stakes election case, the conservative-majority Supreme Court, featuring three justices appointed by the former president, is set to hear oral arguments on February 8.
Last month, the Colorado Supreme Court excluded Trump from the Republican presidential primary ballot due to his involvement in the January 6, 2021 Capitol assault by his supporters.
Trump’s legal team, advocating for his 2024 Republican presidential nomination, urged the US Supreme Court to swiftly reverse the Colorado ruling, claiming it would be unprecedented judicial interference with voters’ ability to select a major-party presidential candidate.
They argued that decisions regarding presidential eligibility are within Congress’s purview, not state courts’.
Additionally, Trump has appealed a ruling from Maine’s top election official, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, seeking to overturn her decision barring him from the primary ballot in that state.
The Colorado Supreme Court and Maine secretary of state based their rulings on the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. Section Three of this amendment prohibits individuals engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” after pledging to support the Constitution from holding public office.
While similar challenges have been raised in other states, courts in Minnesota and Michigan recently ruled in favor of Trump’s inclusion on their ballots.
Meanwhile, Trump, facing an upcoming trial in Washington in March for alleged conspiracy related to overturning the 2020 election results, also confronts racketeering charges in Georgia.
Maine and Colorado are among the states holding their presidential nominating contests on March 5, also known as “Super Tuesday,” alongside more than a dozen other states, including California and Texas.