Colorado Republicans are calling on the United States Supreme Court to hear former President Donald Trump's ballot disqualification case in the state.
The state's Republican Party requested on Wednesday when it asked the high court to overturn a court ruling barring the Republican businessman from Colorado's ballot for the Republican primary. The decision was made over Trump's role leading up to the Capitol Hill siege on Jan. 6, 2021.
Donald Trump Ballot Disqualification Case
It was the first ruling where the state Supreme Court ruled that the former president was disqualified from the president's office under the Constitution's 14th Amendment. This provision bars people "engaged in insurrection" from holding office. The case also raises novel legal questions, including whether or not the language applies to the president's office.
In a Wednesday court filing, lawyers for the Colorado Republican Party said that the drastic effects of the state's Supreme Court ruling on the 2024 primary election necessitates the high court's immediate review, as per NBC News.
They added that if the state Supreme Court's ruling is not reversed, it would have an "irreparable effect on the election process." If the nation's high court chooses to take the case, it could hand a ruling in its current term, which ends in June.
Lawyers at the conservative American Center for Law and Justice, Jay Sekulow and his son Jordan, said in a blog post that the legal dispute is "the greatest election interference case" in the history of the United States. They noted that it also represents a grave attack on millions of Americans' fundamental right to vote.
The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, is set to play a major role heading into the country's 2024 presidential race. The high court has already turned down a previous request from special counsel Jack Smith to weigh in on whether or not Trump is immune from prosecution.
Urging the Supreme Court To Take the Case
According to CNN, the state court ruling was set to expire on Jan. 4, but with the new appeal, it would be indefinitely extended until the Supreme Court announces whether or not it would take the case.
The lawyers representing the Colorado Republican Party argued that the state Supreme Court engaged in an unprecedented disregard for the First Amendment. This was over the right of political parties to select the candidates of their choice for the elections.
The state party also said that the Colorado Supreme Court rejected a long history of precedent by concluding that individual litigants, state courts, and secretaries of state have authority to enforce Section Three of the 14th Amendment.
When United States President Joe Biden was asked about the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling, he said it was up to the court to determine the application of Section 3. However, he said there was no question that his predecessor supported an insurrection.
It comes as lawsuits challenging Trump's candidacy have been filed in more than 25 states before next year's election. They come as national polls show the former president being the frontrunner in the field of candidates for the Republican primary, according to CBS News.
