Michigan judge hears lawsuit to block Trump from ballot

Attorneys on Thursday gave oral arguments on whether Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson had the authority to block former President Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballots. Activists have sued Benson to keep Trump off the state’s primary election ballots under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Similar lawsuits have been filed in Minnesota and Colorado. Michigan Court of Claims Judge James Robert Redford on Thursday did not say when he would rule in the case, although he promised to be “relatively” quick.

What does the 14th Amendment have to do with this? Section 3 of the 14th Amendment prevents those engaged in an insurrection from holding office without approval from two-thirds of each chamber of Congress. The lawsuits filed in Michigan, Minnesota, and Colorado argue that Trump incited the Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021, and by so doing engaged in insurrection. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan have refused to block Trump from appearing on their state’s ballots.

Dig deeper: Read Daniel R. Suhr’s column in WORLD Opinions about how voters should decide whether Trump is eligible.