Politics

Michigan Supreme Court Declines To Remove Trump From 2024 Ballot

The Michigan Supreme Court declined Wednesday to remove former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 ballot.

The court wrote that it was “not persuaded that the questions presented should be reviewed by this Court” before rejecting the case on procedural grounds, according to a brief order. Last week, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump was ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies officials who take an oath to the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” from holding office.

Colorado halted enforcement of its decision until Jan. 4 to provide Trump time to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Trump can be on the presidential ballot next year after Michigan Supreme Court ruling today. The court declined to consider appeal of lower court ruling in favor of Trump’s side: https://t.co/cVtGYqfCkz pic.twitter.com/C9UE2ywbz0

— Niraj Warikoo (@nwarikoo) December 27, 2023

Free Speech For People (FSFP), an organization backed by left-wing donors, filed the Michigan lawsuit to remove Trump in September after filing a similar case in Minnesota.

“The events of January 6, 2021, amounted to an insurrection or a rebellion under Section 3: a violent, coordinated effort to storm the Capitol to obstruct and prevent the Vice President of the United States and the United States Congress from fulfilling their constitutional roles by certifying President Biden’s victory, and to illegally extend then-President Trump’s tenure in office,” the lawsuit stated.

Judge Elizabeth Welch issued a short dissent Wednesday, writing that “considering the importance of the legal questions at issue and the speed with which the appellants and the judiciary have moved, I believe it is important for this Court to issue a decision on the merits.”