The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump can appear on Republican primary ballots, rejecting Colorado's attempt to exclude the former president's name. The state sought to keep Trump off the ballot, citing his alleged responsibility for the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.
With a unanimous vote, the Supreme Court's verdict likely removed an obstacle to Trump securing the GOP ticket for a potential rematch against President Joe Biden in a 2020 election rerun.
The nine justices on the court deliberated on the question of whether Trump is eligible to appear on the Colorado primary ballot, considering the former president's role in the assault on the Capitol by GOP supporters.
In a unanimous 9-0 decision, the conservative-dominated court declared that "the judgment of the Colorado Supreme Court... cannot stand.' This means that 77-year-old Trump, the Republican White House frontrunner, can now appear on the state's primary ballot, as reported by AFP. They added, 'All nine Members of the Court agree with that result."
The case originated from a December ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court, one of the 15 states and territories participating in Super Tuesday.
Citing the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, the state court ruled that Trump should be excluded from the ballot due to his role in the January 6 attack on Congress, where a mob attempted to halt the certification of Biden's 2020 election victory.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment prohibits individuals from holding public office if they engaged in 'insurrection or rebellion' after pledging to support and defend the Constitution.
During two hours of arguments last month, both conservative and liberal justices on the U.S. Supreme Court expressed concern about allowing individual states to decide which candidates can appear on the presidential ballot in November.
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that "responsibility for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates rests with Congress and not the States."
--With information from AFP
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