The decision averts what could have been one of the most explosive moments in the 2024 election,and effectively puts to an end a series of ballot challenges that argued Trump wasn’t eligible to be president under section 3 of the 14th amendment,which bars those who have engaged in an “insurrection or rebellion” from holding office.
While Colorado’s legal challenge related specifically to that state,finding Trump ineligible would have had broad national implications,as many other states have also sought to disqualify him using the same argument.
“BIG WIN FOR AMERICA!!!” Trump wrote on social media immediately after the 9-0 decision.
The ballot challenge was initiated by six Colorado voters and sent shockwaves across the country last year,when the state became the first to suggest Trump was ineligible to run under a Civil War-era provision designed to keep Confederate insurrectionists from office.
Maine has since followed suit,while dozens of other states have legal cases that have either failed or are pending.
In its decision,all justices agreed that states could not use that constitutional provision to keep presidential candidates from appearing on ballots. However,in an unsigned opinion,five of the nine justices went on to say that Congress would have to act to give Section 3 force.