Former U.S. President Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to overturn a decision by Colorado’s highest court barring him from running in the state’s Republican presidential primary.
Trump’s lawyers filed a petition with the Supreme Court on Wednesday, arguing that the Colorado ruling violates the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on January 2 that Trump is ineligible to run for president because he was impeached by the House of Representatives for inciting the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The court found that the impeachment conviction meets the definition of “insurrection” under the 14th Amendment, which bars anyone who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding federal office.
Trump’s lawyers argue that the Colorado ruling is “a dangerous and unprecedented step that could have a devastating impact on our democracy.”
They say that the ruling “allows politicians to use impeachment as a weapon to silence their political opponents.” The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments in the case in the coming months.
