In what will certainly be a major blow to those hoping to keep Former President Trump from returning to the White House, today’s Supreme Court hearing suggested that the justices were not too fond of the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision. It declared Trump ineligible due to “engaging in insurrection,” leading to his exclusion from the state’s Republican primary ballot on March 5.

In more than two hours of discussion, justices from both conservative and liberal perspectives seemed to raise doubts about disqualifying Trump based on his post-2020 election actions, culminating in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

The key concern centered around whether Congress must take action before states can utilize a constitutional provision, established after the Civil War, that prevented those who “engaged in insurrection” from seeking office. Questions also arose about the provision’s applicability to the president.

Eight out of nine justices indicated openness to various arguments presented by Jonathan Mitchell, who argued that even an “admitted insurrectionist” could not be removed from the ballot, stating it was the role of Congress to determine whether someone should be disqualified.

Chief Justice John Roberts suggested one of Colorado’s arguments is “at war” with the thrust of the 14th Amendment. Even liberal Justice Elena Kagan emphasized the absence of congressional involvement and questioned why “a single state should decide who gets to be president of the United States.”

Interestingly, the justices spent almost no time talking about whether Trump actually “engaged in insurrection” following the 2020 election.

Only Justice Sonia Sotomayor appeared inclined to support the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision.

The court’s decision, will have a significant impact on other states that have pending litigation to remove Trump from their 2024 ballots.

Stay tuned to the DC Patriot for more on this developing story!