WASHINGTON (AP) — supreme court Donald Trump should be declared unfit to be president again because he was a leader. violent attack on the US Capitol Lawyers leading the fight to keep him from voting to overturn his loss in the 2020 election told judges Friday.
The document is full of vivid explanations, Violence at the Capitol on January 6, 2021lawyers asked the justices to not back down from fulfilling their constitutional duties and uphold the first Colorado court decision to exclude the 2024 Republican presidential front-runner from the state’s primary ballot. .
“No one is above the law, not even a former president,” the lawyers wrote.
The court is scheduled to hear arguments within two weeks in a landmark case that could disrupt the 2024 presidential election.
This case presents the High Court with an initial consideration of the following provisions: 14th Amendment Some people who “participated in the rebellion” are prohibited from holding public office. This amendment was adopted in 1868 after the Civil War.
“Mr. Trump intentionally organized and incited a violent mob in a desperate effort to prevent the counting of electoral votes cast against him,” his lawyers said in court arguments. They attacked the U.S. Capitol,” he said. he lost the election To Democrat Joe Biden.
They called for a decision that makes it clear that what happened on January 6th was an insurrection and that President Trump is responsible for it. The president is subject to the constitutional provision in question, and Congress does not need to act before the states can apply it, the lawyers wrote.
Written filings include a Dec. 19, 2020 tweet informing supporters of protests planned on the day Congress counts electoral votes, saying, “It’s going to get wild there.”
“Trump lit the fuse,” the lawyers wrote in a speech to supporters on Jan. 6. The briefing reproduces photos of that day’s mayhem, including one of Capitol Police Officer Daniel Hodges pinned to a doorway during the attack.
Trump’s lawyers say efforts to keep him from voting “threaten to disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans and create chaos and uproar if other states follow Colorado’s lead.” “It will cause this,” he argued.
Trump’s lawyers say the Colorado Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling should be overturned for several reasons, including that Trump did not incite the riot and that his presidency is not subject to the amendment. It is written that. They also argue that Congress must enact legislation before states can invoke provisions that keep candidates off the ballot.
The justices are hearing arguments on February 8th. Trump has already won the first two Republican presidential races, the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is President Trump’s only remaining significant Republican opponent.
Still, both sides say the courts need to act quickly to let voters know whether Trump is qualified to serve as president.
The court is dealing with the dispute in a limited time frame, with a decision likely to be reached by Super Tuesday, March 5, when the highest number of delegates in a single day is expected, including in Colorado. .
The second sentence of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment states that a person who takes an oath to support the Constitution and who “participates in insurrection” in opposition to the Constitution is no longer eligible to hold state or federal office. Masu. After Congress passed amnesty for most former Confederates covered by the act in 1872, the provision was not used until this year, when dozens of lawsuits were filed to keep Trump from voting. lost. Only one in Colorado was successful.
Trump has filed a separate appeal in state court. Ruling by Maine Democratic Secretary of StateShena Bellows, said he was ineligible to participate in the vote for that state’s election role. Capitol attack. Both the Colorado Supreme Court and Maine Secretary of State’s decisions are on hold pending appeal.
