Supreme Court holds oral arguments on Trump’s qualifications for candidacy
Focus on procedural judgment rather than Trump’s participation in the rebellion
The U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments on the 8th (local time) to determine whether former President Donald Trump, who is accused of inciting the storming of Congress on January 6, 2021, is eligible to run for president.
Foreign media reported that the Supreme Court justices attending the hearing appeared somewhat skeptical of the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to disqualify the candidate from participating in the primary. The analysis is that there is a high possibility that the lawsuit will be dismissed and that there will be no problem with former President Trump’s candidacy.
This morning, the U.S. court held the first oral argument in Washington, D.C. for the appeal of a lawsuit seeking to restrict former President Trump from running in the primary and heard opinions from officials.
Previously, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that former President Trump would be disqualified from participating in the Colorado primary based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which restricts insurrectionists from performing public office. It is believed that inciting the storming of the National Assembly in 2021 constitutes a rebellion.
Afterwards, former President Trump appealed, and the Federal Supreme Court made the final decision.
On this day, nine Supreme Court justices watched the arguments and asked questions directly, but whether former President Trump participated in insurrection was not the main topic of discussion.
Rather than examining former President Trump’s role in the storming of the Capitol, the Supreme Court justices focused on whether individual states could disqualify candidates for national elections without congressional legislation.
In addition, the New York Times reported that most of the Supreme Court justices showed skepticism about the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision, taking the position that individual states cannot disqualify candidates for national elections unless Congress first enacts a law.
The Associated Press also raised the possibility of dismissal, saying that skeptical questions from the Supreme Court justices were directed at Jason Murray, a lawyer representing Colorado voters who is the plaintiff in this lawsuit, and that the Democratic-leaning justices were not much different.
Former President Trump, who did not attend the court in person on this day but was watching the trial, also expressed confidence.
He met with reporters at Mar-a-Lago Golf Club in Florida and said that he was very pleased that the Supreme Court justices showed skepticism due to the defense team’s performance, and that “our argument was very, very strong.”
[워싱턴=뉴시스]
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.