The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case aimed at barring former President Donald Trump from running for office in 2024.
The case was brought by John Anthony Castro, a relatively unknown Republican candidate, who argued that Trump's alleged involvement in the January 6th Capitol riot should disqualify him from holding office under the 14th Amendment.
The 14th Amendment, enacted in the aftermath of the Civil War, was designed to prevent Confederate leaders from holding elected positions. It stipulates that individuals guilty of insurrection or sedition are ineligible for office. However, it is important to note that Trump has not been formally charged or convicted of either insurrection or sedition.
The Supreme Court rejected Castro's petition without any comment or recorded vote. The crux of Castro's argument rested on a provision of the 14th Amendment, which reads, "no person shall ... hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."
In his lawsuit, Castro contended that Trump had breached these rules by allegedly providing "aid or comfort to the convicted criminals and insurrectionist that violently attacked our United States Capitol on January 6, 2021." He further argued that "the framers of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment specifically designed it to remove overwhelming popular pro-insurrectionists from the ballot," implying that Trump was "the precise type of person they sought to disqualify."
After a lower court dismissed his case on the grounds of lack of legal standing, Castro took his case to Washington, DC. He is not alone in invoking the 14th Amendment against Trump. Two more substantial cases are currently underway in Minnesota and Colorado.
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