Supreme Court green lights Trump 2024 candidacy

Published: Mar. 4, 2024 at 5:26 PM CST

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The Supreme Court announced Monday morning former President Donald Trump is eligible to appear on the ballot in Colorado, and every other state across the country. The decision was reached less than a month after the Court heard oral arguments in the case.

The ruling also applies to Maine and Illinois, both of which sought to block Trump from appearing on their ballots.

The court examined Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits people who swore to support the Constitution and then engaged in insurrection from holding office. They ruled the decision to remove presidential candidates from an election ballot can only be made by Congress.

Professor Michele Goodwin at Georgetown University Law School reflected on the court’s lockstep ruling. “The fact that it was unanimous also gives, I guess, further support for that. It’s a court that’s unified in this particular decision,” she said.

The court’s ruling came a day before Super Tuesday, which includes Colorado and Maine.

Former President Trump posted on social media that the ruling was a big win for America, posting, “You cannot take somebody out of a race. The voters can take the person out of the race very quickly. But a court shouldn’t be doing that. And the Supreme Court saw that very well. And I really do believe that will be a unifying factor.”

The court may still have a further impact on the 2024 presidential election. In April, it will hear oral arguments concerning whether a former president has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution at the Supreme Court.