“Life of 14th Amendment Cases: Will it Shift the Course of Colorado & Michigan’s Anti-Trump Strategies?

The recent decisions handed down by the Supreme Court in two 14th Amendment cases could impact the Colorado and Michigan efforts to remove Donald Trump from the ballot. The 14th Amendment protects citizens from discrimination, including protection against racial, religious, and gender discrimination. Over the past few decades, various state statutes have been challenged as unconstitutional due to the 14th Amendment. Recently, the Supreme Court issued rulings in two 14th Amendment cases from Oklahoma and Arizona that may have broad implications for Colorado and Michigan’s efforts to keep Donald Trump off their ballots. In the Oklahoma case, the Supreme Court ruled that a state cannot deny Native Americans in the state their right to vote based on the results of a court-ordered citizenship test. This precedent could prove beneficial for Colorado and Michigan as they look to prohibit Trump’s name from appearing on their ballots. In particular, the Supreme Court’s ruling makes clear that any impediments to the right to vote based on one’s racial or ethnic identity are unconstitutional, and the same principle could apply to political affiliation. Meanwhile, in the Arizona case, the Supreme Court found that an Arizona law that denied the processing of absentee ballots cast by members of an Indigenous tribe violated the 14th Amendment. This decision further supports the precedent that discriminatory voting practices, including those based on political views, are unconstitutional. Overall, these Supreme Court decisions indicate that Colorado and Michigan could potentially be successful in their efforts to keep Donald Trump off their ballots. Moreover, the decisions in these two cases stand as a reminder that jurisdictions across the country must heed the principles of the 14th Amendment and guard against any actions that would deny citizens their right to choose their political representatives without fear of discrimination or undue influence.