Supreme Court set to weigh in on crucial election question

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – The Supreme Court is about to face a case that has major implications for former president Donald Trump’s re-election campaign.

On Thursday the justices are set to weigh in on a Colorado ruling that kicked Trump off the ballot because of the Constitution’s insurrection clause.

Georgetown Law professor Dr. Michele Goodwin says this case will have significant impacts on American democracy and the upcoming race.

“There are lots of implications for the 2024 election,” Goodwin said.

The insurrection clause says anyone who “engaged in insurrection” is barred from holding office. The Colorado Supreme Court recently ruled that makes Trump ineligible, but Trump’s legal team is appealing the decision.

“He deserves to be on the ballot is their argument, and voters should decide who becomes the president and not courts,” Goodwin said.

Dr. Goodwin says the case hinges on the question of whether the insurrection clause applies to the office of the president. The Colorado Supreme Court determined that it did, but now the U.S. Supreme Court will evaluate that argument.

“This is a highly unusual case, because we’ve not been presented before with a backdrop like January 6th,” Goodwin said.

Trump’s political fate could be determined by the court’s decision. If they side with Colorado, his ballot eligibility will also be in jeopardy in several other states where similar challenges are working their way through the courts.

His allies at the Capitol are jumping to his defense. Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert slammed her state’s effort to keep Trump off the ballot.

“Absolutely absurd, it’s completely un-American, completely unconstitutional,” Boebert said. “They cannot beat President Trump in an actual free and fair election, so they are trying to rig the game in the courts.”

Congressman Matt Gaetz  (R-Fla.) says he thinks the high court will side with Trump.

“Our expectation is that the court will not embrace the anti-democratic impulses that we’ve seen elsewhere,” Gaetz said.

We don’t know when the court will issue a ruling. But there is pressure to resolve the case by early March, when Colorado holds its primary election.

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