It was in December that the Supreme Court of the state of Colorado made the decision that Donald Trump will not be allowed to appear on the primary election ballots. This with reference to the 14th amendment to the US Constitution, which prohibits anyone who “supported or participated in an insurrection” from running for office. The text of the law was written in 1866, shortly after the end of the American Civil War. The writing has never before been attempted in American HD.
Also in the states of Maine, Illinois and Massachusetts, processes are underway to ban Donald Trump from appearing on the ballots. In Michigan, Oregon and Minnesota, state courts have ruled that Trump can be on the ballot.
Trump has appealed Colorado’s decision and on Thursday afternoon, Swedish time, negotiations began in HD in Washington. During the first day of court, both the suing side, Trump-critical Colorado Republicans and independent voters, and Trump’s defense presented their arguments.
The delegation from Colorado believes that Trump acted in a rebellious manner in connection with the congressional storming. Among other things, it is highlighted that in a speech Trump urged his supporters to go to Congress on January 6, 2021.
The Trump side, on the other hand, claims that the former president did not call on his supporters to act violently and that he himself was never inside the Capitol.
First to speak in HD was Trump’s lawyer Jonathan Mitchell. He argues, among other things, that states cannot on their own ban candidates from being on the ballot, citing the legal text of the 14th Amendment. He believes that such a decision must be made by the US Congress. He also highlights that the presidency is not specifically mentioned in the text of the law, and that the law should therefore not apply to Trump.
On Thursday, people, both Trump supporters and those protesting against the former president, had gathered outside the Supreme Court in Washington DC. Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AP
Jason Murray, who represents the ruling side in the negotiations, began by emphasizing the importance of the Supreme Court making a decision on whether or not Trump has the right to run for office.
– The constitution requires that he not be given another chance, says Murray.
If Trump is allowed to run, win the election, and then be disqualified because of the crimes he is suspected of, it would lead to a “constitutional crisis,” according to Murray.
The judges in HD highlighted several of the consequences of banning a candidate from being on the ballot. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts said such a decision could ultimately lead to a handful of states deciding the presidential election, and that would be “terrifying,” Reuters news agency reports. Even liberal Justice Elena Kagan seems skeptical of a state making such a decision, “It sounds very much like a national issue to me,” she says.
Trump himself was not present at the Supreme Court. In a radio interview on Thursday, he claims that the lawsuit is an attempt by allies of President Biden to try to remove him from the presidential race.
– They want the Supreme Court to remove me from the race, that would be a terrible thing to do, says Trump, according to Reuters.
He also made a statement from the residence in Mar-a-Lago in Florida and calls the atmosphere “more election influence from the Democrats”.
– The good news is that we lead in almost every opinion poll, says Trump.
It is unclear when the court’s decision will come.
