The Supreme Court this week may hear a case regarding former President Donald Trump's ability to run again for the White House, and decide within days whether the current Republican nominee is eligible.
The Supreme Court is preparing to hold a regular conference on Friday, giving the justices a chance to respond to landmark decisions in Colorado and Maine that Trump was not eligible to vote in those states. Both relate to conclusions Trump cannot be on the ballot because of part of a constitutional amendment that bars those who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from serving in office. After the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives on charges of incitement of insurrection, but acquitted by the Senate.
Now look: When Colorado removed Trump from the ballot, a showdown at the Supreme Court seemed likely. Maine removed all doubts.
“Pressure is on for the Supreme Court to take up Trump’s case, perhaps as soon as this week,” Greg Valliere, chief US policy strategist at AGF Investments, wrote in a note on Tuesday.
“Then the discussion may take a few days; “It only took the court three days to rule in favor of George W. Bush on December 12, 2000,” Valliere said. The analyst gave 70-30 odds that Trump would prevail if the Supreme Court accepted the case. The court has a conservative majority of 6-3.
Potential action by the Supreme Court would come as the presidential primary season begins, and the nation's first caucuses are scheduled to take place in Iowa on January 15. The former president is the front-runner in national Republican polls and early state polls. Republicans. Trump and President Joe Biden are essentially tied in the polling average compiled by RealClearPolitics.
On Tuesday, Trump is expected to appeal the rulings in Colorado and Maine. The former president will appeal the Colorado Supreme Court ruling to the US Supreme Court and the decision made by the Democratic Secretary of State in Maine to the Supreme Court of that state, the Associated Press wrote.
It would be the first time the nation's highest court could rule on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which states that anyone who took an oath to uphold the Constitution and then “engaged in rebellion” against it is no longer eligible to hold office.
The Associated Press contributed.
