SCOTUS rules 9-0 in favor of Trump
After this ruling, all of the Amendment 14.3 cases should disappear.
“This case raises the question whether the States, in addition to Congress, may also enforce Section 3. We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency.”
You can read the ruling for yourself on the SCOTUS website. It is rare to get all nine justices to agree on anything, giving this ruling much more weight. With this ruling, the cases in Maine and Illinois will have to be reversed, and any other Amend.14.3 cases out there will be dismissed.
The Majority Opinion essentially says that states do NOT have the right to bar a presidential candidate from the ballot unless Congress disqualifies a candidate.
Kagan, Sotomayor, & KBJ wrote their own opinion, in which they agree that states don’t have the ability to remove a presidential candidate but disagree with some of the other things discussed in the majority opinion. The relevant bits are quoted below:
“Section 3 marked the first time the Constitution placed substantive limits on a State’s authority to choose its own officials. Given that context, it would defy logic for Section 3 to give States new powers to determine who may hold the Presidency.
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That provides a secure and sufficient basis to resolve this case. To allow Colorado to take a presidential candidate off the ballot under Section 3 would imperil the Framers’ vision of “a Federal Government directly responsible to the people.”
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Section 3 serves an important, though rarely needed, role in our democracy. The American people have the power to vote for and elect candidates for national office, and that is a great and glorious thing. The men who drafted and ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, however, had witnessed an “insurrection [and] rebellion” to defend slavery. They wanted to ensure that those who had participated in that insurrection, and in possible future insurrections, could not return to prominent roles. Today, the majority goes beyond the necessities of this case to limit how Section 3 can bar an oathbreaking insurrectionist from becoming President. Although we agree that Colorado cannot enforce Section 3, we protest the majority’s effort to use this case to define the limits of federal enforcement of that provision. Because we would decide only the issue before us, we concur only in the judgment.”
Donald Trump responded, calling the ruling a huge win for America.
Lorraine Yuriar is a wife, mother, and lifelong conservative, currently stuck in a very blue state.
Well, that a kick in the jimmy's of the anti-Trumpers.
Thank God for small favors........