The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a Colorado Supreme Court ruling that the Disqualification Clause of the 14th Amendment bars former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state’s Republican primary ballot because of his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
But Colorado isn’t the only state to have reached a decision on whether Trump is eligible for the ballot — and state supreme courts and secretaries of state are diverging on the question. Two weeks ago, the Michigan Supreme Court came to the opposite conclusion, as did the Minnesota high court in November. Also in recent weeks, California’s secretary of state kept Trump on the ballot while Maine’s announced that Trump was ineligible to appear. Related cases are pending in state and federal courts across the country.
These disparate results can be explained in part by differences in state election laws and state procedures for claims like these.
