Mar 04, 2024
The Supreme Court‘s decision to issue an opinion about Donald Trump‘s eligibility for state ballots on Monday surprised some legal experts.
The Court handed Trump a major win on the eve of Super Tuesday, allowing his name to appear on the primary ballot in states that have challenged his presidential candidacy.
In its opinion, the Court sided with Trump in the 14th Amendment challenge from Colorado, overturning the state Supreme Court’s decision that he was ineligible for the ballot because of his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The decision came before the biggest primary day of the 2024 election cycle, known as Super Tuesday, when voters in 16 states, including Colorado, and one territory will make their choices known. Maine, which was among the three states awaiting the Supreme Court’s decision on the validity of Trump’s candidacy, is also holding its primary on Tuesday. Illinois, the third state affected by Monday’s decision, is not holding its primary until March 19.
The former president had been removed from ballots in Maine and Colorado because of the 14th Amendment, but the decision has been stayed pending the Supreme Court opinion. Trump, the GOP front-runner, has denied all wrongdoing.
Newsweek contacted the Supreme Court for comment via an online form.
On X, formerly Twitter, Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, wrote before the opinion was released that, if the court ruled in Trump’s favor, then it would be “completely inappropriate.”
“Why pick the day before Super Tuesday to give Trump a likely big judicial win?” Eisen said.
He added, “It’s like an in-kind campaign contribution!”
If it turns out to be true that the court is issuing the 14A opinion tomorrow—& @steve_vladeck is a guru here—it’s completely inappropriate
— Norm Eisen (norm.eisen on Threads) (@NormEisen) March 3, 2024
Why pick the day before Super Tuesday to give Trump a likely big judicial win?
It’s like an in-kind campaign contribution! https://t.co/E3ckzCPZt9
Craig Silverman, an attorney in Denver, wrote: “Colorado will lose in the United States Supreme Court. But history will be kind to Colorado and our Supreme Court. And in the end, the truth will win, and MAGA will lose. The only question now is how much damage Trump/Putin will do in the interim.”
Colorado will lose in the United States Supreme Court.
— Craig Silverman (@craigscolorado) March 3, 2024
But history will be kind to Colorado and our Supreme Court.
And in the end, the truth will win, and MAGA will lose.
The only question now is how much damage Trump/Putin will do in the interim.https://t.co/pblDkuSgpO
Speaking to Newsweek before the ruling, Todd Landman, a professor of political science at the University of Nottingham, disagreed that the timing is inappropriate.
“The state of Colorado is one of the states that is part of Super Tuesday, along with 15 other states. If the court did not issue a ruling today, voters can still vote for Donald Trump as, oddly, his name is still on the ballot,” Landman said.
He added: “However, if the Supreme Court issues a decision on this case, it would provide clarity before tomorrow. I thus think that announcing the decision today is not inappropriate.”
https://www.newsweek.com/supreme-court-announcement-trump-immunity-1875540
Trump will win. The United States is no longer a toilet like Europe. Illegal immigration, hard drugs and sexual violence are about to tear our nation apart. Biden failed.
Well, Mike, we have a choice; be destroyed by illegal immigration and drugs, or by fascism and a world ruled by china, mafia land and their useful idiots.
Neither option is desirable.
That’s how low we’ve sunk, I’m afraid.
The Supreme Court ruling is a farce. It has nothing to do with upholding our laws. It’s a big “thank you” to Trump from those “conservative” judges for him gifting them their Supreme Court positions. They have proven that they are corrupt.
The Federalist Society is a cult that believes money is speech…Now Putin gets to speak more in US. A minority of legal minds with big money from who knows where, that controls all laws.
Supreme Court is now the Federalist Society’s play toy. God help us.
My opinion, too, Mr. Ofp. It turns the Declaration of Independence into a farce if the effing president is above the law and may even try to get rid of democracy. However, the decision had been unanimous, supported by the liberal judges, too, so the legal view must have been different.
The reasons they gave for their votes are ridiculous. High school students could do better than that.