The Minnesota Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed an attempt to prevent Donald Trump from appearing on the 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot in the northern US state. However, the state’s highest court indicated its readiness to entertain a potential challenge regarding Trump’s eligibility for the November 2024 presidential election ballot.
Legal endeavors seeking to bar the former president from next year’s White House race are underway in several states, arguing that he violated his oath of office by allegedly participating in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.
This argument is grounded in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, ratified post the 1861-65 Civil War. The amendment precludes individuals engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” after swearing an oath to uphold the Constitution from holding public office. Aimed at obstructing supporters of the Confederacy from federal positions, the 14th Amendment serves as the basis for blocking Trump from appearing on ballots in multiple states, including Minnesota.
A group of voters in Minnesota petitioned the state supreme court to exclude Trump from the Republican presidential primary ballot in March and the November election. However, the court dismissed this plea.
Chief Justice Natalie Hudson clarified in a four-page order, “There is no state statute that prohibits a major political party from placing on the presidential nomination primary ballot… a candidate who is ineligible to hold office.”
The court highlighted the possibility of reviewing the general election claim at a later date if Trump secures the Republican nomination and another petition is filed.
Similar proceedings are taking place in a Colorado court, but regardless of the outcomes, the case is anticipated to reach the US Supreme Court, where conservatives maintain a 6-3 majority.
Meanwhile, the 77-year-old Trump faces federal charges in Washington in March for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results. He faces comparable charges in Georgia.
Although Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for inciting the Capitol attack, he was acquitted by the Senate.
In response to efforts to disqualify him from the presidential ballot, Trump denounced them as having “no legal basis” and accused the “Radical Left Communists, Marxists, and Fascists” of attempting to “steal an Election.”
