Former President Donald Trump’s eligibility to run for the presidency in 2024 is a volatile issue rightfully challenged by various states across the country. The Insurrection clause under section 3 of the 14th Amendment bans those who have engaged in an insurrection from holding public office unless approved by two-thirds of the Senate. The question is whether Trump is officially charged with spearheading the January 6th Insurrection. Various states will individually determine whether the president can appear on the ballot. The first state to successfully remove former president Trump from the ballot was Colorado, the state Supreme Court found him guilty of Insurrection and therefore unable to hold office as of the 14th Amendment.
California, Colorado, Maine, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Oregon all have made notable movements against Trump.
In California, Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis asked the Secretary of State to go through “every legal option” to remove Trump from the ballots. “The Colorado decision can be the basis for a similar decision here in our state” the Lt. Gov. expressed, “The constitution is clear: you must be 35 years old and not be an insurrectionist.” The Secretary of State wrote back to Kounalakis saying that the decision to erase the former president’s name from the ballot must be “grounded firmly in the laws and processes in place in California and our Constitution.” As of now, Donald Trump is included in California’s Certified List of Presidential Candidates and further action must be taken if he is to be removed.
In Illinois, the organization Free Speech for People challenged the right for the state to include Trump’s name on the ballot, on behalf of 5 local voters. They wrote that the former president’s nomination papers were “legally and factually insufficient.” The voters requested a hearing on these grounds, with a primary set for January 19th.
Another 5 strong group of two Democrats, one Republican, and 2 other local voters filed an objection within Massachusetts, stating that “he [Trump] engaged in rebellion and insurrection against the Constitution of the United States and gave aid and comfort to the enemies of the same and is therefore disqualified from the presidency.” This group, as well as many others in the aforementioned states like Oregon and Michigan, are encouraging a movement against Donald Trump and his unconstitutional actions that will hopefully end his harmful leadership of the United States. The Supreme Court has acknowledged that they need to address this issue, and they will likely be the deciding and ultimate factor in this case against Trump.