Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on Thursday arguing that former President Donald Trump should remain on the primary ballot in Colorado.
The high court is set to review an unprecedented decision by the Colorado Supreme Court that found Trump, 77, ineligible for high office due to his actions during the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.
Ramaswamy, 38, is Trump’s closest ally in the 2024 race, and argued in the filing that he has a special view as the GOP candidate on the Colorado ballot.
Ramaswamy argued that the former commander-in-chief should not be banned from the Colorado ballot for three reasons: first, because the decision was inspired by his political opponents; second, because the decision will be used for a flood of future cases; and third, because Section 3 of the 14th Amendment — which was invoked in that decision — does not apply to former presidents.
Ramaswamy has been Trump’s staunchest defender in the 2024 GOP field. Getty Images
“President Trump’s political opponents have sought to disqualify him from the ballot in several states because they fear they cannot defeat him in a free and fair election,” the long-shot candidate wrote in a brief op-ed by The Post.
Ramasmway previously vowed to withdraw from the Colorado vote if Trump is not reinstated, and called on his GOP rivals to do the same.
The court will hear arguments in the case on February 8, with the Colorado primary to be held on March 5.
Trump’s team filed an appeal asking the Supreme Court to review the Colorado Supreme Court’s findings. AP
The Civil War-era amendment stated, “No person shall … hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having taken an oath … as an officer of the United States … to support the Constitution of the United States. , shall engage in rebellion or insurrection against the same, or give aid or comfort to his enemies.”
Maine’s secretary of state also barred Trump from the primary ballot last month, using the same rationale.
Ramaswamy notes that there is no definitive textual evidence that “an official of the United States” refers to the former president.
Donald Trump has warned that there will be “big trouble” if the Supreme Court does not rule in his favor. Gabriella Bass
Barring Trump from the ballot would open a “Pandora’s box” of disqualified future candidates, Ramaswamy continued.
“Unless this temptation is quickly extinguished, it is not difficult to imagine a presidential election in the not-too-distant future where every major party candidate will appear on the ballot in only half the states,” he wrote.
The Supreme Court’s decision on Colorado will likely have ramifications in other states where challenges to Trump’s qualifications have taken place.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
