The Supreme Court restored Trump’s ballot eligibility

Yesterday, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that states lack the authority to ban presidential candidates on the grounds that they engaged in rebellion or insurrection, rejecting a series of attempts to ban former President Trump from the 2024 primary ballot.

The case centered around a Colorado Supreme Court decision in December that disqualified Trump from the state GOP primary ballot for violating Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prevents anyone who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding state or federal office.

• In yesterday’s 9-0 decision, the Court found that Colorado and other states lack the power to reject presidential candidates for violating Section 3, since it could create a “chaotic state by state patchwork” that disrupts national elections.
• The Court also ruled 5-4 that Section 3 can only be enforced via an act of Congress, with Justice Amy Coney Barrett joining the Court’s liberal bloc in arguing that the decision is too restrictive.

The impact: The ruling means that former President Trump is officially restored to presidential primary ballots in three states which had previously deemed him ineligible (Colorado, Maine, and Illinois). It also ends similar ongoing legal challenges to Trump’s candidacy filed in several other states.

👀 Looking ahead… The Court's decision came a day before Super Tuesday, when more than a dozen states including Colorado will hold their primary contests.