Supreme Court rules on Trump’s exclusion from primaries
Former US President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada
Source: REUTERS
The US Supreme Court will hear Donald Trump’s appeal against his exclusion from the Colorado primaries. A court in the state had excluded the former president from the Republican primaries because of his role in the storming of the Capitol.
Dhe Supreme Court of the United States will consider the exclusion of former President Donald Trump from the presidential primary in the state of Colorado. The Supreme Court tannounced on Friday afternoon (local time)., it will take up a corresponding request from the former US president and current presidential candidate. The case is scheduled to be heard on February 8th in the court in the capital Washington.
Trump asked the Supreme Court in Washington on Wednesday to overturn his exclusion from the presidential primary in the state of Colorado. In a 43-page letter to the country’s highest court, the 77-year-old Republican’s lawyers called on the justices to look into the matter and “immediately overturn” Trump’s expulsion.
In the state of Colorado, the Supreme Court there ruled on December 19th in a sensational decision that Trump was not allowed to take part in his party’s presidential primaries in Colorado because of his role in the storming of the Capitol on January 6th, 2021.
Trump’s lawyers argued in their letter to the Supreme Court in Washington that only Congress should decide on his suitability for the office of president – not the state courts. It went on to say that if Trump’s disqualification from the election stands, it would be the first time “the judiciary has prevented voters from voting for the leading presidential candidate of a major party.”
Procedures also in other states
The 77-year-old Trump also challenged his exclusion from the primary elections in the state of Maine. There, his lawyers appealed to the state’s highest court to overturn the election commissioner’s decision.
In both Colorado and Maine, the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution was cited to justify Trump’s exclusion from the primary. The constitutional amendment states that no person may hold public office if he or she has taken part in “insurrection or insurrection” against the Constitution after taking an oath to defend it.
Proceedings had also been initiated in other states to have Trump excluded from the primaries. This was rejected in Michigan and Minnesota. Based on the latest decisions in the states, it was considered very likely that the matter would ultimately come to a decision by the Supreme Court in Washington.
Trump significantly shifted the majority on the US Supreme Court during his term in office. Six of the nine judges are now considered conservative. However, the Supreme Court did not always rule in his favor.
In the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Trump is considered the favorite and is leading polls by a large margin. The Republican primaries begin on January 15th in the state of Iowa, in Maine and Colorado the primaries are scheduled for March 5th – on the so-called Super Tuesday. The primary election winner will face Democratic incumbent Joe Biden in the presidential election on November 5, 2024.