Washington

In a major victory for former United States (US) president and current presidential hopeful Donald Trump, the Supreme Court on Monday (Mar 4) overturned a judicial decision that had excluded him from Colorado's ballot under a constitutional provision involving insurrection for inciting and supporting the 2021 Capitol Hill riots. 

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According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the justices unanimously reversed a December 19 decision by Colorado's top court to kick Trump off the state's Republican primary ballot on Tuesday after finding that the Constitution's 14th Amendment disqualified him from again holding public office.

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The top court's justices found that only Congress can enforce the provision against federal officeholders and candidates.

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The 14th Amendment's Section 3 bars from office any "officer of the United States" who took an oath "to support the Constitution of the United States" and then "engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."

"We conclude that states may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But states have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the presidency," the unsigned opinion for the court stated.

Following the court's ruling, Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social, "Big win for America."

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Reuters reported that the 77-year-old Republican was also barred from the ballot in Maine and Illinois based on the 14th Amendment, but those decisions were put on hold pending the top court's ruling in the Colorado ballot disqualification case.

In Colorado, Trump's eligibility was challenged by six voters who portrayed him as a threat to American democracy and sought to hold him accountable for the Capitol Hill riots. This group of voters included four Republicans and two independents.

In its ruling against Trump, Colorado's Supreme Court cited the general atmosphere of political violence that he created as president, and that he aided "the insurrectionists' common unlawful purpose of preventing the peaceful transfer of power in this country."

(With inputs from agencies)