On the 27th of December, the Michigan Supreme Court rejected a bid to bar former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 primary ballot. The court’s decision prohibits the exclusion of Trump from the 2024 ballot based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
This provision bars individuals who have participated in insurrection or rebellion after swearing an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution from holding office.
In a concise statement, the court declined to consider a case advocating for Trump’s removal from the state’s ballot, expressing skepticism about the necessity for this court to examine the raised concerns. This ruling aligns with the recent dismissal by the Michigan Court of Appeals of challenges to Trump’s candidacy in the state’s primary ballot earlier this month.
“Political parties and individual candidates determine who is placed on the primary ballot,” in a unanimous 3-0 decision invoking Michigan statutes, the appellate court affirmed.
Courts in both Arizona and Minnesota have denied comparable efforts to eliminate Trump from the ballot. The Minnesota Supreme Court, just last month, dismissed a request from voters aiming to exclude Trump from the 2024 GOP primary and general election ballots. The court asserted that Minnesota law doesn’t prevent major parties from featuring even ineligible candidates on the primary ballot.
Last Wednesday, the Michigan Supreme Court issued a contrasting order compared to the unprecedented decision of the Colorado Supreme Court last week. The Colorado court’s decision, based on constitutional grounds, prohibited Trump from participating in the state’s primary next year.
As per the Colorado decision, a majority of the court asserted that President Trump is disqualified for the presidency under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
Consequently, including him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot by the Colorado Secretary of State would be deemed an unlawful act under the Election Code.
Trump expressed his approval of the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision on his Truth Social account, affirming that the court appropriately dismissed the desperate Democratic endeavor to eliminate the leading candidate from the 2024 Presidential Election ballot in Michigan.
“This attempt to manipulate the election has failed nationwide, even in traditionally Democratic-leaning states. Colorado is the sole state that succumbed to the scheme.”
