Former United States President Donald Trump recently filed a lawsuit to prevent Michigan from removing his name from the ballot for the 2024 presidential race.
In the Monday filing in the Michigan Court of Claims, the Republican businessman's attorneys also want the court to declare that Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has neither the authority nor duty to assess Trump's constitutional qualifications to serve as president.
Donald Trump Files Lawsuit To Keep Name on 2024 Ballot
The former president's filing was made in response to efforts by activists in Michigan who recently asked a judge to order Benson to keep Trump's name off any ballot for president. They cited a section of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment.
That particular provision prohibits a person from running for federal office if they have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the U.S. or given aid or comfort to those who have. A Court of Claims judge last week denied Trump's request to dismiss the lawsuit.
The efforts of activists mirror others around the United States that paint the former president as the inciter of the Capitol Hill riot on Jan. 6, 2021. That movement, which involved Trump supporters, was intended to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's 2020 presidential election victory, as per Yahoo News.
Furthermore, a lawsuit in Colorado focuses on the Constitution's "insurrection" clause to bar the former president from that state's 2024 ballot. Lawyers who are representing six Republican and unaffiliated Colorado voters argued that Trump's violent rhetoric preceding the attack makes him culpable.
Trump's filing in Michigan on Monday described the events of Jan. 6, 2021, as "a riot." The former president's lawyers said that the events were not an "insurrection" for purposes of section three of the 14th Amendment. They added that the actions did not amount to levying war against the United States.
They also noted that even if the events of Jan. 6, 2021, could constitute an "insurrection", Trump did not "engage" in it. The former president's lawyers said that "engaging" requires some level of active participation and noted that inaction is not sufficient.
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Details of the Capitol Hill Riot
Benson previously said that she would not try to keep Trump off the ballot and argued that it was not up to her to decide the former president's eligibility. But the Republican businessman's lawsuit argues that the Michigan secretary of state is "creating uncertainty" by not responding to the letter from the Trump campaign urging her to confirm that the presidential candidate would be on the ballot, according to CNBC.
The Colorado trial continued on Tuesday with testimony related to Trump and far-right extremists and their actions on Jan. 6, 2021. An expert witness on political extremism and violence, Peter Simi, was called by the plaintiffs.
During questioning, he said that far-right extremists often communicate in ambiguous language. He added that many of Trump's comments before the Capitol Hill riot were a key influence on extremists who marched into the Capitol building.
He focused on the former president's speech at the Ellipse that day where Trump repeatedly called on his loyal supporters to "fight" to prevent the election from being stolen from him. Simi testified that a call to fight would be understood by far-right extremists as requiring violent action, said the New York Times.
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