Supreme Court agrees to hear Trump appeal on ballot ban

The Supreme Court issued an order on Friday that it would hear oral arguments for Trump’s appeal next month. Trump is challenging the Colorado Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling from late last year that stated he is not eligible to appear on the state’s presidential primary ballots, given his actions during the U.S. Capitol riots of Jan. 6, 2021. Interested parties have less than two weeks to file amicus briefs supporting their chosen position.

What does this mean for Trump? The Supreme Court could decide whether the definition of “insurrection” in Sec. 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution does indeed apply to the events of Jan. 6. It could also side with a lower Colorado court that ruled the office of president isn’t limited by the statute, since it isn’t explicitly listed. The section prohibits any public official who has taken an oath of office and subsequently engaged in an insurrection from returning to public office without the approval of two-thirds of Congress. Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to Jan. 6.

Dig deeper: Read Erick Erickson’s column in WORLD Opinions calling the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision a “most dangerous precedent.”