Howard Fischer
Capitol Media Services
A new ruling by the Minnesota Supreme Court could add ammunition to efforts by Donald Trump to remain on the ballot for Arizona’s presidential preference primary despite a legal challenge here.
But John Castro, who also is running for president and filed the lawsuit, said the case being heard here this coming week is different. And he contends there is more than sufficient justification to keep the 45th president from having the opportunity to ask Arizona Republicans to nominate him to become the 47th president.
The underlying issue in both cases is the same: the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Enacted after the Civil War, it bars people who have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution from holding public office if they provided “aid or comfort” to insurrectionists.
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Free Speech for People, working with a former Minnesota Supreme Court justice and others, argued that disqualifies Trump from appearing on that state’s March 5 primary ballot.
In an order this past week from the court, Chief Justice Natalie Hudson sidestepped questions of whether the former president’s activities in and around Jan. 6, 2021 made him guilty of providing “aid and comfort.” Instead, Hudson said there is no legitimate legal question before the court — at least not yet.
She pointed out that Trump simply wants to be a candidate in the Republican primary.
