US Supreme Court to issue ruling; Trump ballot case looms

US Supreme Court to rule on Trump's ballot eligibility before Colorado primary. Justices show sympathy in key cases.

 US Supreme Court (photo credit: REUTERS)
US Supreme Court
(photo credit: REUTERS)

The US Supreme Court plans to issue at least one ruling on Monday, the day before Colorado holds a presidential primary election in which a lower court kicked Republican frontrunner Donald Trump off the ballot for taking part in an insurrection during the 2021 Capitol attack.

Unique Sunday ruling by the Supreme Court

The court, in an unusual Sunday update, did not specify what ruling it would issue. But the justices on Feburary 8 heard arguments in Trump's appeal of the Colorado ruling and are due to issue their own decision.

 Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a keynote speech at the Black Conservative Federation gala dinner, ahead of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., February 23, 2024 (credit: Alyssa Pointer/Reuters)
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a keynote speech at the Black Conservative Federation gala dinner, ahead of the South Carolina Republican presidential primary in Columbia, South Carolina, U.S., February 23, 2024 (credit: Alyssa Pointer/Reuters)

Colorado is one of 15 US states and an American territory holding primary elections on "Super Tuesday." Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 5th US election.

The Supreme Court's decision

The Republican party of Colorado has asked the Supreme Court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three justices appointed by Trump, to rule before Tuesday in the ballot eligibility case.

During arguments in the case, Supreme Court justices signaled sympathy toward Trump's appeal of a December 19th ruling by Colorado's top court to disqualify him from the state's ballot under the US Constitution's 14th Amendment.

In another case with high stakes for the election, the Supreme Court last Wednesday agreed to decide Trump's claim of immunity from prosecution for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.