Even liberal justices agree Trump should stay on ballot. Progressives still melted down.
Super Tuesday is nearly upon us, when 15 states and one territory will cast their vote in presidential primaries. Thanks to a definitive ruling Monday, former President Donald Trump will remain on the ballot in all of the states.
Colorado and other states had tried to keep Trump off the primary ballot because of his actions leading up to and during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. By claiming Trump had committed some form of “insurrection” that day, those in favor of booting him said this was an effort to preserve democracy – something Democrats are keen on saying these days.
But could there be anything less democratic than preventing the American people from having their choice of presidential candidate?
The high court put an end to that possibility. Thank goodness.
All nine justices, including the three liberal ones, concurred that only Congress has the authority to restrict a candidate’s access to the ballot if an alleged violation of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment takes place. That’s the constitutional amendment that prevents those who have engaged in an insurrection from holding a federal office.
“We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office,” the justices explained. “But States have no power under the constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency.”
Think what you want about Trump, but he still deserves his day in court related to his actions on Jan. 6, 2021. At this point, he hasn’t been convicted of anything. And just because Democrats and many other Americans don’t like what they saw that day, that’s far from a high enough bar to keep him off the ballot.
This is a guy whom nearly half of voters sought to reelect in 2020, and Republican primary voters seem set on choosing again. He's hardly a fringe candidate.
Even a unanimous Supreme Court decision can't satisfy liberals
I had hoped that a unanimous decision would appease hand-wringing over the ruling by indicating it was firmly rooted in the law and the Constitution – not ideology. That’s also what Justice Amy Coney Barrett wanted, too.
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In a concurring opinion, she wrote, “Particularly in this circumstance, writings on the Court should turn the national temperature down, not up. For present purposes, our differences are far less important than our unanimity: All nine Justices agree on the outcome of this case. That is the message Americans should take home.”
No such luck.
The unhinged responses started flowing immediately. Leftist provocateur Keith Olbermann, for instance, unleashed a hot take, insulting the three liberal (women) justices for having “proved themselves inept at reading comprehension.” I’m sure Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor would beg to differ.
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Olbermann also made the rational observation that the court – one of the three integral branches of government – should be “dissolved.”
You get the idea.
Then there were “news” posts such as this one from The Associated Press: “Supreme Court restores Trump to ballot, rejecting state attempts to hold him accountable for attack on Capitol in 2021.”
That’s not what the court ruled on at all. But why let the facts get in the way of anti-Trump framing?
Let the people vote. Period.
So much of the left, including the news media, are so blinded by their hatred of Trump that they forget how our system of government is supposed to work.
The surest way to hold Trump accountable will happen at the ballot box – now during the primaries and in November. If Democrats really feared him so much, they could run pretty much anyone other than President Joe Biden, who is in serious danger of losing in November.
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Trying to pull unwise maneuvers like Colorado did will only further divide the country and contribute to the distrust in elections that has been building the past few years.
Let the people vote, which is the clearest way for citizens to have a say in our republic.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court Trump ruling lets voters decide. Why are Democrats mad?