By Wonderwall.com Editors
5:00pm PST, Feb 13, 2024
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Donald Trump held a press conference on Feb. 8 after the Supreme Court heard arguments in whether the former president's efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election should bar him from appearing on the ballot in Colorado in 2024. The case, Trump v. Anderson, was brought after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Trump ineligible to run for president in the state because of his actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The justices ultimately seemed reluctant to disqualify the Republican frontrunner from a state ballot. Their questions and the oral arguments given by lawyers for Trump and Colorado voters focused on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Added after the Civil War, the provision says anyone who has engaged in "insurrection" or "rebellion" or "given comfort or aid to enemies" after "having previously taken an oath to support the Constitution" may not "hold office" again.
Little time was spent discussing whether or not Trump's alleged involvement in the events of Jan. 6, 2021, amounted to an insurrection, multiple outlets reported. Instead, the justices focused on whether states have the authority to keep someone off a state ballot in a national election. The court's decision will be fast-tracked, according to The Hill, but isn't expected to be handed down immediately.
Keep reading to learn what Trump, the SCOTUS and stars and politicians on both sides of the political aisle are saying about the historic case…
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In remarks made outside his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Feb. 8, Donald Trump praised his attorney, Jonathan Mitchell, accused the "radical left" of weaponizing "politics" and cited comments he made after his supporters, many armed with actual weapons, violently stormed the U.S. Capitol.
"I thought the presentation today was a very good one. I hope it was well-received," Trump said, in part. "I hope that democracy in this country will continue because right now we have a very tough situation with all of the radical left ideas with the weaponization of politics. They weaponize it like it's never been weaponized before."
"If you take a look at my words, right after … if you take a look at my speech from the Rose Garden, which was very shortly after … I was on Twitter. If you take a look at those five or six tweets, you will see very beautiful, very heartwarming statements. Go home. The police are doing their job, et cetera, et cetera, beautiful statements," the former president continued.
Keep reading for more details…
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The Supreme Court's most conservative justices, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, appeared skeptical of the idea states might have the authority to affect a national ballot, Politico reported.
Chief Justice John Roberts, as well as Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, also seemed reluctant, as did liberal Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
"What's a state doing deciding who other citizens get to vote for president," Justice Kagan said at one point.
She went on to press the Colorado voters' attorney, Jason Murray, on "why a single state should decide who gets to be president of the United States," calling such power "extraordinary."
The court's third liberal Justice, Sonia Sotomayor initially appeared more open to the claim made by Colorado voters. She grew more quiet as things progressed and the majority appeared to share an opinion, according to Politico.
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Alyssa Farah Griffin shared a link to Donald Trump's comments from Mar-a-Lago on X and added, "He's incoherent."
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"If you are watching the Supreme Court arguments in the Trump ballot case, then I am sure you will agree. The justices are on track to over rule the Colorado Supreme Court. Colorado has apparently allowed politics to infect its legal judgment. Imagine, if, as Justice Alito says, every one of the 50 states could declare eligible or ineligible a candidate based on whatever standard each state adopted." –Geraldo Rivera on X
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"What Ginni told Clarence this morning: 'Remember, you have SCOTUS immunity' … 'Make the Proud Boys proud' … 'I'll be waiting for you in just a polartec housecoat, leggings, Uggs and a MAGA hat' … 'We're due at Mar-a-Lago by 6 PM' … 'The Constitution is just a suggestion'" –Paul Rudnick on X
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"The Supreme Court must send a message: in America, the people decide who the president is, not lefty judges." –Sen. J.D. Vance
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"The Supreme Court is hearing arguments to determine if Trump is ineligible for the 2024 ballot. I called for Justice Thomas to recuse himself. He failed to do so. It's a shame he's allowing any question of bias to exist, given his family's reported involvement in January 6th." –Sen. Richard Durbin on X
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"This morning, I was proud to take a stand for President Trump and for Democracy outside the Supreme Court. The Left's witch-hunt has gone on long enough. Stop this attack on OUR Democracy, and let the PEOPLE decide in November." –Sen. Tommy Tuberville
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"CNN CUTS TRUMP: Panel Doesn't Show Trump's SCOTUS Reaction, Bursts Into Laughter … 'Okay, I think we've gotten all the legal analysis we're going to get out of President Trump…'" –Sean Hannity on X
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"Based on the oral arguments it would seem the GOP Supreme Court will overturn the Colorado Supreme Court. It would seem they are clearly avoiding the fact that Trump was involved in the planning of an insurrection against the constitutional peaceful transfer of power." –Barbra Streisand on X
