Donald Trump was declared eligible. With a unanimous decision, the United States Supreme Court rejected the ruling of the Colorado Supreme Court, which in December had blocked the former president's electoral bid in the local presidential primaries. A ruling, the latter, which had appealed to the third section of the Fourteenth Amendment, according to which those who participated in an insurrection cannot hold public office (the reference was to the raid on the Capitol on January 6, 2021).
“We conclude that states may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But the States do not have the power, under the Constitution, to enforce the third section with respect to federal offices, in particular the presidency”, reads the sentence released a few hours ago. “Plaintiffs argue, however, that states may apply section three against candidates for federal office. But the text of the Fourteenth Amendment, on its face, does not affirmatively delegate that power to the states. The terms of the amendment pertain only to enforcement by Congress, which has the power to enforce the amendment by legislation under the Fifth Section,” the ruling continues.
Some dissent among officials has emerged over whether or not there are other ways to enforce the Fourteenth Amendment clause other than legislative action by Congress. However, as mentioned, all members of the Supreme Court spoke in favor of overturning the Colorado ruling.
“It's a great victory for America,” he cheered Trump. “Today the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed what we all knew: the Colorado Supreme Court waged a purely partisan attack against the front-runner in the Republican presidential primary,” said the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. “States that engage in the same activist and anti-democratic behavior should take note and leave it up to the American people to decide who will be president,” he continued. For the moment, the White House and the electoral team of Joe Biden chose not to comment, while those complaining against the former president's candidacy expressed disappointment.
It goes without saying that the ruling represents a significant political and electoral victory for the current Republican frontrunner. Indeed, the question of his candidacy represented the main sword of Damocles hanging over his future. It is also possible that now Trump is further strengthened in view of Super Tuesday of tomorrow. This is, in particular, a fairly hard blow for Nikki Haleywho – despite having so far lost in all electoral appointments with the exception of the Washington DC primaries – continued to remain in the race, also taking advantage of his rival's legal troubles.
