In the latest chapter of the contentious 2024 presidential election, former president Donald Trump has gone on the offensive to protect his place on the ballot.
Trump filed a lawsuit this week against Michigan's Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, asking the court to prohibit her from leaving his name off the list of candidates. His legal team argues that Benson does not have the authority to remove him from the ballot.
This battle stems from a growing movement to keep Trump off state ballots, citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which states that no person can hold office if they engaged in insurrection after taking an oath to defend the Constitution.
At the heart of these mounting ballot challenges is Donald Trump's conduct surrounding the infamous January 6th Capitol insurrection. Legal experts argue Trump's actions in inciting the riot constituted engaging in or assisting an insurrection, which expressly prohibits him from holding office again under the 14th Amendment.
Similar efforts are underway in states like Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota and New Hampshire. Just yesterday, arguments kicked off in a Colorado lawsuit seeking to bar Trump from the ballot there over the Capitol attack.
Trump has firmly rejected these attempts, calling them election interference and nonsense. But the implications are building as we look ahead to 2024.
If Trump is barred from state primary ballots, it could effectively block his path to the Republican nomination. But he's not going down without a fight, as this new lawsuit shows.
The coming months will determine if Donald Trump's political future hangs in the balance over January 6th. This battle highlights how the Capitol riot continues to loom over the former president and American politics.
This case has only just begun, but it's one to watch closely on the road to 2024. The Constitution grants citizens the power to shape our democracy. Now the courts will determine if that includes the extraordinary step of denying a major candidate's place on the ballot.
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