Subscribe to the Inside Washington daily email to receive exclusive coverage and analysis of the US directly to your inbox.
Receive our free email newsletter, Inside Washington.
Sign up for our complimentary email newsletter, Inside Washington.
According to reports, Donald Trump is worried that certain conservative judges on the Supreme Court, half of whom he chose, may make decisions against him. This comes after he was disqualified from appearing on the ballot in multiple states due to the 14th Amendment’s prohibition on insurrectionists holding governmental positions.
According to The New York Times, advisers of Mr Trump are preparing to submit challenges on Tuesday regarding the rulings in Colorado and Maine.
Donald Trump was excluded from the GOP primary ballots due to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. His followers tried to prevent the confirmation of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win, fueled by their unfounded belief that the election was fraudulent.
Although Mr. Trump has faced accusations of involvement in the Capitol insurrection, his supporters often emphasize that he has not been formally charged with “insurrection” as a crime.
The Trump administration plans to contest the decision made by the Maine Secretary of State to bar Mr. Trump from being listed on the ballot. Additionally, the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling to remove Mr. Trump will be appealed to the US Supreme Court.
The ex-president selected three out of six conservative justices for the court. The other three liberal justices were chosen by Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The last three conservative justices were appointed by George HW Bush and George W Bush.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment declares that any public official who has sworn to uphold the Constitution cannot have participated in a rebellious or treasonous act, or provided support to those who oppose it.
On Friday, Shenna Bellows, the Secretary of State for Maine, stated in an interview with a local CBS station that each state has its own unique characteristics.
“I made a promise to protect and defend the Constitution. I have fulfilled my responsibility,” she stated.
According to The Times, in a private conversation, Mr. Trump expressed his belief that the Supreme Court will rule against Colorado and Maine. However, he also expressed concern that the conservative justices may be hesitant to appear “political” and rule against him.
The Colorado decision caught Trumpworld by surprise, while the Maine ruling was not unexpected. The former president’s advisors were already preparing a statement and drafting most of their appeal after Ms. Bellows’s hearing on December 15th.
Attempts to prevent Mr. Trump from appearing on ballots have not been successful. A complaint in Wisconsin seeking to remove him from the state’s ballot was dismissed this week, and the California secretary of state has confirmed that the former president will remain on the ballot.
According to Lawfare, there are currently fourteen states involved in legal action to remove Mr. Trump.
The Trump administration has been attempting to argue that the numerous criminal indictments against him and his removal from ballots are a result of a Democratic witch hunt. They assert that the former president is being targeted by election interference, similar to the accusations he faced when he tried to overturn the 2020 election based on unfounded claims of fraud.
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, accused Democrats in states that typically vote for their party of disregarding the Constitution and putting the civil rights of American voters in jeopardy. He claims they are doing this by trying to quickly remove President Trump’s name from ballots.
Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, stated in an interview with CNN that the removal of Mr. Trump’s ballot “elevates him to a martyr” status.
“He’s skilled at playing the victim card. He constantly complains,” he remarked.
During the decision-making process of the Supreme Court, Mr. Trump will remain on the ballot in Colorado.
Source: independent.co.uk