Today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a historic, yet unsurprising decision when they ruled that President Donald Trump could not be removed from Colorado’s presidential ballots. In December, Colorado’s Supreme Court voted in favor of disqualifying Trump from the state’s election ballots, citing Section 3 of the United States Constitution’s 14th Amendment’s “Insurrection Clause,” due to Trump’s alleged role in the January 6th, 2021, election protest in Washington D.C.
The timing of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn the Colorado decision is not coincidental, as tomorrow’s “Super Tuesday” will see voters from 16 states, including Colorado, head to the polls to cast their votes in the 2024 Presidential Primary. This ruling will have a massive ripple effect on other state-level efforts to remove Trump from the ballot as well. In addition to Colorado, state government officials in Maine and Illinois also took measures to remove Trump from ballots, though they too were awaiting the U.S. Supreme Court ruling before officially removing him. Since all these efforts cite Trump’s role on January 6th as justification for his removal from the ballot, this ruling neutralizes attempts from all other states. Further, it will also thwart potential attempts from other states who were rumored to be considering similar actions to Colorado, Illinois, and Maine regarding Trump’s appearance on ballots.
What is most noteworthy however is that the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Trump, 9-0. On paper, the Supreme Court “is charged with ensuring the American people the promise of equal justice under law and, thereby, also functions as guardian and interpreter of the Constitution.”
However, much is always made about which president – and specifically the party he hails from – appoints Supreme Court Justices, and with good reason. In recent years, landmark rulings on issues such as abortion, the second amendment, and free speech protections were decided mostly along the lines of the party each justice was appointed by. The three justices appointed by Democrat presidents joining the six justices appointed by Republican presidents signals a rare unity on an important issue, as even the “liberal” justices appear to believe the Trump ballot removal scheme is too extreme, which also aligns with the sentiment of how the majority of Americans feel about the issue as well.
Barring any other new, not yet foreseen schemes, Trump will remain on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia between now and the November election. While overall unsurprising, this principled ruling still serves as a sigh of relief during this chaotically unprecedented time in America’s political history.
Matt Kane earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stony Brook University. His work has been posted by President Trump, RealClearPolitics, and American Thinker. X/Twitter: @MattKaneUSA Truth Social @MattKane
