US Supreme Court rules Trump can remain on Colorado primary ballot

WASHINGTON -- US Supreme Court on Monday unanimously ruled that former President Donald Trump can remain on the primary ballot in Colorado, rejecting the state's disqualification and potentially setting national-wide guidelines.

The nine justices, three liberal and six conservative, all agreed with the ruling.

By deciding that states lack the authority to remove Trump from the ballot due to his involvement in the events preceding the Capitol riot on Jan 6, 2021, the Supreme Court delivered a significant victory to the former president, who is the frontrunner in the Republican presidential race.

The US Supreme Court declared that the Colorado Supreme Court had made an incorrect assumption that states possess the authority to decide whether a presidential candidate is disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits individuals who have engaged in insurrection from holding public office.

"Because the Constitution makes Congress, rather than the states, responsible for enforcing section 3 against all federal officeholders and candidates, we reverse," the ruling said.

The latest ruling makes it clear that it is Congress, rather than individual states, that is responsible for establishing regulations regarding the enforcement of the 14th Amendment provision. Therefore, this decision applies to all US states, not just Colorado.

The ruling came one day before Super Tuesday, the day in the presidential primary cycle when most states vote. This year, some 15 states and one territory, including Colorado, will vote on Super Tuesday.