Saturday, September 30, 2023

Michigan Lawsuit Seeks To Bar Trump From Ballot




A lawsuit filed yesterday in Michigan seeks to bar the Malignant Loser from appearing on their 2024 ballot, citing the 14th Amendment prohibition against anyone who swore an oath to the Constitution and subsequently engaged in insurrection or rebellion. The Malignant Loser led the attempt to overturn the 2020 Presidential election, culminating in the attack on the Capitol to obstruct the electoral count. From the Associated Press:

"A liberal group on Friday filed a lawsuit in Michigan contending that former president Donald Trump is disqualified from regaining his old job based on a rarely used, post-Civil War provision in the U.S. Constitution.

This is the first time an organization with significant legal resources has sought to block the GOP frontrunner’s campaign in a swing state.

Free Speech For People argued that Trump’s attempt to overturn his 2020 election loss and encouragement of the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol violated section three of the 14th Amendment, which holds that anyone who swore an oath to uphold the constitution and then “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against it is barred from holding office." (our emphasis)

In September, a group of Minnesota citizens filed a petition with the Minnesota Secretary of State seeking to bar the Malignant Loser from the ballot in that state. The Secretary of State said he would honor the court's ruling on the petition. 

With the expectation that the issue will ultimately be decided by the right-wing dominated Supreme Court, the likelihood of him being barred from ballots is almost nonexistent. Legal scholars from conservative Judge Michael Luttig to progressive Professor Laurence Tribe argue that the provisions must be applied to Trump. But to repeatedly take note of his sedition in the historical record, and to provide him and his cult with additional legal / political headaches, is worth it.

(photo: Trump exhorting his violent mob to "fight like hell" to overturn the election)

 

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