A judge in Michigan ruled on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump will remain on the state’s primary ballot following efforts to stop Trump’s candidacy using the 14th Amendment.
This comes after the former president’s enemies have been looking to remove him from the presidential ballot using the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. Section 3 of the Amendment says that public officials are not eligible to hold office if they “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against” the U.S.
“No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President … shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof,” the section read.
Last week, Court of Claims Judge James Redford rejected arguments that Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 riots meant the court had to declare him ineligible for the presidency. Redford wrote that, because Trump followed state law in qualifying for the primary ballot, he cannot remove the 45th president.
“The judicial action of removing a candidate from the presidential ballot and prohibiting them from running essentially strips Congress of its ability to ‘by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such a disability,'” Redford wrote in his ruling.
“The question of whether he is ineligible due to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment presents a political question that is nonjusticiable at the present time,” the judge continued. “The question of whether Donald Trump is qualified or disqualified from appearing on the 2024 general election ballot in Michigan is not ripe for adjudication at this time.”
As expected, Trump’s critics weren’t happy with Redford’s ruling, with liberal group Free Speech For People immediately announcing that they would appeal the decision. The group brought 14th Amendment cases to a number of states.
“We are disappointed by the trial court’s decision, and we’re appealing it immediately,” said Ron Fein, Legal Director of Free Speech For People.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung, meanwhile, celebrated the ruling and said that this was a victory for American voters.
“Each and every one of these ridiculous cases have LOST because they are all un-Constitutional left-wing fantasies orchestrated by monied allies of the Biden campaign seeking to turn the election over to the courts and deny the American people the right to choose their next president,” Cheung said in a statement.
