In a recent development, Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican presidential candidate, has called upon the US Supreme Court to reverse the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision that excludes Donald Trump from the state’s ballot. Ramaswamy, a vocal critic of the Colorado court’s ruling, submitted a friend-of-the-court brief on Thursday, expressing his disagreement with the state court’s interpretation of the Constitution’s insurrectionist ban in relation to the presidency.
Ramaswamy emphasized the potential far-reaching implications if the justices in Washington, DC, uphold the Colorado ruling. He warned that such a decision could pave the way for voters and state decision-makers to manipulate the ballot for personal and professional gains.
“For secretaries of state and state supreme court justices, the path to national notoriety will be illuminated: To enhance your credibility among co-partisans, simply concoct a reason to declare a disfavored presidential candidate of the opposing party ineligible to run for office,” Ramaswamy cautioned the justices. “For voters, the message will be equally clear: Scour the records of disfavored candidates for speeches containing martial rhetoric, or even policies that had unintended consequences, and then file challenges under Section 3. The number of Section 3 complaints will proliferate, as will the number of divergent outcomes,” he added, referring to the Constitutional provision under scrutiny in the case.
Following the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling last month, Ramaswamy vowed to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary unless Trump is permitted on the ballot. The Colorado decision has been on hold pending the US Supreme Court’s resolution of the case. Last week, the state’s top election official certified the 2024 presidential primary ballots with Trump’s name on the Republican ballot.
The US Supreme Court, currently deliberating on whether to overturn the state court’s decision, is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case on February 8.