Supreme Court shoots down Colorado bid to keep Trump off ballot

The United States Supreme Court on Monday shot down a ruling from Colorado that barred former President Donald Trump from that state's primary ballot on the grounds that he engaged in an insurrection while trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

The court did not rule on whether Trump engaged in insurrection but did argue that individual states should not have the power to make such determinations for federal candidates.

"The judgment of the Colorado ... Supreme Court therefore cannot stand," it wrote.

SCOTUS' decision was unanimous.

The court had heard arguments on Feb. 8 about the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling that Trump should be barred under the Constitution's 14th Amendment, which states that anybody who takes part in an insurrection against the U.S. cannot hold public office.

The court wrote in its decision that states do not have the power to enact the 14th Amendment. "Responsibility for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates rests with Congress and not the States," it wrote.

The decision added: "We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency."

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Monday's ruling is likely to affect similar efforts to throw Trump off the ballot, including in Maine and Illinois, both of which ruled he should be banned. Both cases are on hold amid appeals by Trump's legal team.