A flurry of preparation is currently underway for the upcoming Supreme Court oral arguments regarding whether former President Donald Trump should be disqualified from the Colorado ballot. Colorado's Secretary of State, Jenna Griswold, has officially taken a stand and is urging the justices to use the 14th Amendment as justification to disqualify Trump. Her legal team has been granted 10 minutes on Thursday to present their argument before the highest court in the land.
The primary message that Secretary Griswold aims to convey is that states possess the authority to prevent individuals who have taken part in an insurrection and broken their oath from appearing on the electoral ballot. It is anticipated that the Supreme Court may focus their questions on the interaction between state law and the Constitution, specifically examining how Colorado's election system and election laws are protected under the Constitution.
Secretary Griswold has been cautious in her approach to this issue. She refrained from making definitive statements regarding Trump's eligibility for the Colorado ballot, even though she firmly believed that he had incited the insurrection on January 6th. However, with the recent determination by the Supreme Court that Trump did engage in insurrection, Secretary Griswold has decided to publicly take a clear stand in defense of Colorado law and the Constitution's provisions.
The timing of Secretary Griswold's decision is not influenced by the delays in the special counsel's case, which was slated to commence on March 4th but has since been postponed indefinitely. The judge overseeing that case could have set a provisional date, but the indefinite postponement suggests significant factors at play. However, Secretary Griswold made her decision prior to these developments.
Secretary Griswold emphasizes that her decision to take a stand stems from the belief that the Constitution and Section 3 of the 14th Amendment exist to protect the nation from insurrectionists like Donald Trump. She hopes that the United States Supreme Court will carefully consider all the facts, relevant case law, and the explicit language of the Constitution when making their determination. In her view, Trump's actions and continued influence pose a clear threat to the country.
While the outcome of the upcoming oral arguments remains uncertain, Secretary Griswold's determined advocacy for the disqualification of Trump from the Colorado ballot underscores the significance of this case. It highlights the intersection between state election laws and constitutional principles, providing an opportunity for the Supreme Court to shape the future of electoral eligibility in the United States.
