The Oregon Supreme Court on Friday allowed former President Trump to remain on the state's primary ballot, rejecting challenges to his eligibility for now.
The court said it would await a future ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on whether President Trump can be disqualified from voting under the 14th Amendment.
“Because the United States Supreme Court's decision on the Fourteenth Amendment issue may resolve one or more issues raised by parties in the Oregon case, the Oregon Supreme Court, by order, , denied their power of attorney request but did not impair their ability to litigate “a new petition seeking to resolve any issues that may remain after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision,'' the court said in a release. Stated.
Anti-Trump groups have challenged Trump's ballot placement in states across the country, but most of the lawsuits have been unsuccessful.
The Oregon lawsuit was filed on behalf of five voters by Free Speech for People, a nonprofit organization that has led a nationwide campaign to remove President Trump from office.
In total, the group is challenging Trump's voting eligibility in five states. Courts have refused to remove Trump's name from ballots following challenges in Michigan and Minnesota, but the group has also filed ongoing lawsuits in Illinois and Massachusetts. be.
The Hill has reached out to Free Speech For People for comment.
Last month, the top state courts and top election officials in Colorado and Maine, respectively, took the unusual step of removing the former president's name from their primary ballots in response to challenges from other groups. . Those rulings are on hold while Trump appeals.
The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up the Colorado case, giving the justices a path to providing a national resolution on the 14th Amendment's anti-insurrection policy before the general election. The case is being heard at a fast pace, with oral arguments scheduled for February 8th.
In announcing that it would wait for its decision, Oregon's high court noted that the state was not scheduled to finalize its presidential primary election results until March 21.
The 14th Amendment's Insurrection Clause prohibits anyone from holding federal office if they “participate in an insurrection” after taking an oath to support the Constitution. Anti-Trump plaintiffs cite President Trump's actions surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as violations.
Trump's lawyers argue that Trump's actions amount to insurrection because of several threshold arguments, including that the clause does not apply to the presidency and would require Congressional legislation to take effect. He argued that this was not the case and that the objection must be thrown out.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
