US Supreme Court Upholds Trump's Inclusion on Colorado Primary Ballot

The recent unanimous decision by the US Supreme Court upholds former President Donald Trump's eligibility to appear on the primary ballot in Colorado, rebuffing the state's attempt to disqualify him and potentially establishing nationwide standards.

All nine justices, including three liberals and six conservatives, concurred with the ruling, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

The ruling asserts that states do not possess the authority to exclude Trump from the ballot due to his involvement in the events leading up to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, handing a significant victory to the ex-president, who leads the Republican presidential race.

The Supreme Court declared that the Colorado Supreme Court erred in assuming that states can determine the disqualification of a presidential candidate under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars individuals engaged in insurrection from holding public office.

"Because the Constitution assigns the responsibility for enforcing Section 3 to Congress, not the states, we overturn," stated the ruling.

This decision clarifies that it is Congress, not individual states, responsible for establishing rules regarding the enforcement of the 14th Amendment provision, impacting all US states, not just Colorado.

The ruling puts an end to efforts in states like Colorado, Illinois, Maine, and others to remove Trump from the ballot due to his actions to contest his defeat in the 2020 election against Democrat Joe Biden.

"BIG WIN FOR AMERICA!!!" Trump exclaimed on social media following the Supreme Court's decision.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold expressed disappointment in the court's ruling, stating, "Colorado should be able to bar oath-breaking insurrections from our ballot," on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The decision was announced one day before Super Tuesday, the day in the presidential primary cycle when most states vote. This year, some 15 states and one territory, including Colorado, will participate in Super Tuesday.

However, the three liberal justices - Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson - along with Trump-appointed Conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, criticized their conservative colleagues for extending their analysis beyond Trump's case and concluding that only Congress can enforce the 14th Amendment through legislation.

"The majority asserts that disqualification for insurrection can only occur through legislation enacted by Congress under Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment. In doing so, the majority restricts other potential federal enforcement methods," wrote the three liberal justices.

Barrett, Trump's most recent appointee to the high court, penned in a concurring opinion that, in her view, "this is not the time to escalate disagreements with fervor."

"The Court has resolved a politically charged issue amid the turbulent period of a Presidential election. Especially in this context, court opinions should lower the national temperature, not raise it," Barrett stated.