The Supreme Court Is Poised To Decide Whether Trump Is On The Ballot In Colorado

Although former President Donald Trump is the clear front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, an ongoing effort to have his name removed from ballots in a number of states recently gained serious traction in Colorado.

The state’s highest court agreed that he should be excluded from the primary ballot due to the conclusion that his actions ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill protest violated the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.

A political powder keg

It goes without saying that the Jan. 6 debate continues to rage between Trump’s supporters and critics nationwide — but the Colorado case brings this dispute to the forefront. And it’s all but certain that an appeal by the former president’s legal team will reach the U.S. Supreme Court, which will have an opportunity to decide whether he should be listed among his GOP rivals on the state’s ballot or not.

The Colorado Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling included a provision that it would not go into effect until Jan. 4, giving the appeals process only about two weeks to play out. Primary voters in the state will cast their votes on Super Tuesday, which is set for March.

Complex considerations

U.S. Supreme Court justices could play an even bigger role in the 2024 presidential race than just weighing in on the Colorado case. Special counsel Jack Smith, who is pursuing federal charges against Trump, wants the high court to determine whether the former president’s claim of immunity should prevent him from facing prosecution.

Of course, the Democratic candidate has won Colorado’s electoral votes for nearly two decades straight, so that state alone might not decide the outcome of the election. But with similar lawsuits underway elsewhere across the country, any forthcoming Supreme Court decision could influence how those cases play out.

Chris Agee December 21st, 2023

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