Former President Donald Trump has sought the intervention of the US Supreme Court to challenge a recent ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court that excluded him from the state's 2024 presidential primary ballot.
The Colorado Supreme Court's 4-3 decision two weeks ago rendered Trump ineligible as a presidential candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination. The basis of this ruling stemmed from a US constitutional provision barring individuals involved in "insurrection" from holding federal office.
Legal actions in Colorado and other states have asserted that Trump should be disqualified from election ballots due to his alleged role in inciting the Capitol Hill insurrection on January 6, 2021, aimed at impeding Joe Biden's 2020 presidential victory.
This decision by the Colorado Supreme Court is noteworthy as it represents the first instance where a US state court has determined Trump's disqualification from the 2024 presidential election, citing the seldom-used insurrection clause.
The Trump campaign promptly announced plans to petition the US Supreme Court to overturn the ruling. The process was scheduled to be on hold until January 4, a day before the state's primary ballot certification. However, expectations suggest that the high court may not resolve the case as swiftly as this week, as per a CNN report.
Moreover, Maine's Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, recently barred Trump from the primary ballot, marking Maine as the second state to restrict the former president's candidacy. Trump has appealed this decision in the state court and could potentially escalate the matter to the US Supreme Court.
Both Colorado and Maine are set to conduct their primaries on Super Tuesday, slated for March 5. However, the challenge lies in printing the ballots well in advance, as indicated by The Washington Post, complicating the timeline for legal resolutions.
(With Agency Inputs)
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