In appealing to the US Supreme Court to reverse Colorado's decision keeping him off its presidential primary ballot, Donald Trump has warned the justices that "chaos and bedlam" could well follow if other states do the same. The wording was included in the brief filed Thursday by Trump's lawyers arguing that the Colorado Supreme Court had erred, CNN reports, in ruling that the former president is disqualified by the Constitution's clause barring insurrectionists from office because of his conduct involving the attack on the US Capitol. Trump "did not 'engage in' anything that qualifies as 'insurrection,'" the brief says.
The lawyers also say that Trump is not subject to Section 3 of the 14th Amendment because the president is not an "officer of the United States," per Axios—wording included in the clause. They also argue that there's no provision in Colorado's Election Code that "allows the state judiciary to order the Secretary of State to remove a candidate from the presidential primary ballot." The Colorado ruling is on hold until the US Supreme Court makes its decision; oral arguments are scheduled for Feb. 8. In the meantime, Colorado has certified its Republican primary ballot with Trump's name on it.
Also on Thursday, Senate Republicans including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell signed on to a brief urging the overturning of the Colorado decision. They say that enforcing the clause is Congress' job, per the Hill. Trump's brief calls on the justices to put a stop to all efforts to keep him off ballots, "which threaten to disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans and which promise to unleash chaos and bedlam if other state courts and state officials follow Colorado's lead." (More Donald Trump 2024 stories.)
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