On Politics

Thu Jan 4 2024

Karissa Waddick | 2024 Campaign Reporter

@KarissaWaddick

Hi there OnPolitics readers! All eyes are once again on the Supreme Court after former President Donald Trump appealed a lower court ruling Wednesday that disqualified him from Colorado's primary ballot. The stakes of the case are enormous – for the high court and the country.

⏪ Rewind it back: Colorado's state Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in December that Trump played a role in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol and is prevented by the 14th Amendment from holding office. Trump was widely expected to appeal the decision.

🔮 What will the court do? We don't know for sure, but experts predict the Supreme Court will rule narrowly to avoid the appearance of politics. The court might rule, for instance, that lower courts and election officials can't invoke the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause without some enabling law approved by Congress, John Fritze reports.

They also could find the insurrection provision doesn't apply to former presidents. Either way, the scenarios appear to benefit Trump.

📅 When will the court decide? The short answer is, it's unclear. Normally, a major appeal arriving at the Supreme Court in January would not be argued until the fall. But in a separate appeal filed by Colorado Republicans last month, both party officials and the voters who oppose Trump asked for expedited review – by mid-February or early March.

In the Supreme Court's hands: How will the justices rule on Trump's ballot appeal?

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