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A state judge in Illinois ruled on Wednesday (28) that former United States President Donald Trump is prohibited from appearing on the ballot in the state's Republican primary due to his role in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
However, the judge also noted that the decision will not be valid until a possible appeal by the former president's defense has been considered. Tracie Porter responded to a request from a voter group in Illinois, a state whose largest city is Chicago, that said the former president should be barred from participating in the March 19 primary and Nov. 5 election this year. a because he allegedly violated the antiinsurrection clause of the US Constitution.
This is the same theory as the Colorado Supreme Court, which ruled in December 2023 that Trump should not run in the state. The Republican appealed the decision, which will be judged by the US Supreme Court and should apply to all states so far, in addition to Colorado and Illinois, Maine has also decided that the former president cannot appear on the ballot. The trial before the Constitutional Court began on August 8th.
The group Freedom of Speech for the People, which led the effort to disqualify Trump in Illinois, said in a statement that the decision was a “historic victory.” A spokesman for Trump's campaign, who is the favorite to win the Republican primary and will run for the White House against Joe Biden in November, said: “The decision is unconstitutional and we will immediately appeal.”
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution dates back to the Civil War era and prohibits people sworn to defend the Magna Carta from holding public office if they commit insurrection or rebellion or support enemies of the United States.
Before the Supreme Court, one of Trump's defense strategies is to argue that the text of the Constitution does not specifically mention the office of the president and therefore cannot be applied in this case.
The court has a conservative supermajority, with five more justices on the right, three more on the left, and President John Roberts swinging from one camp to the other. In addition, three judges were nominated by Trump himself: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
American analysts say that in an attempt to restore the image of bipartisanship that has been damaged in the country after decisions such as the suspension of abortion at the federal level, the Supreme Court may decide to award Trump a victory in a case that states cannot prevent , to run, and a defeat in another: This analyzes the defense argument that the former president is immune and cannot be held responsible for crimes committed while in office.