More than 78 ‘friends’ of the Supreme Court offer advice on the 14th Amendment and Trump’s eligibility
The justices will hear oral arguments in that case, Trump v. Anderson, on Feb. 8.
- The justices will hear oral arguments in that case, Trump v. Anderson, on Feb. 8.
- 2024.
- When the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump could not appear on that state’s ballot, Trump appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- While the Supreme Court will ultimately determine Trump’s fate, the numerous parties who have chimed in aim to add context and additional arguments for the justices to consider.
78 amicus briefs
- They describe this as an effort to “prevent the lawful inauguration of duly elected Abraham Lincoln.” Others file amicus briefs to advance or further an argument.
- All share a common thread: Amicus briefs are filed to help the court shape the ruling in the case.
- In Trump v. Anderson, the amicus filers who support Trump filed 34 briefs.
- The total of 78 amicus briefs filed is lower than other recent and controversial cases before the Supreme Court.
- While normally there is a period of months to file amicus briefs in cases, the court’s expedited timeline directed amicus filers that they had less than four weeks to file their briefs.
Constitutional or unconstitutional?
- Trump incited, and therefore engaged in, an armed insurrection against the Constitution’s express and foundational mandates that require the peaceful transfer of executive power to a newly elected President.” Constitutional law scholars such as Berkeley’s Erwin Chemerinsky and Yale’s Bruce Ackerman argue in their filing that Trump’s rhetoric is not protected by the First Amendment.
- Thus, they write, the First Amendment should not affect how the court interprets and applies Section 3.
- And the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People argues that the court should give consideration to the 14th Amendment’s commitment to equal protection and multiracial democracy because the drafters of the amendment had a “practical concern about how insurrectionists would respect the rights of those whom they did not believe were entitled to rights.”
Unexpected friends
- Although legal scholars and politicians frequently file amicus briefs in cases, this case also generated significant interest from nontraditional amici.
- An unspecified number of Capitol Police officers who fought against the rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, to protect senators and representatives argue that the First Amendment should not apply because Trump’s speech was “integral to unlawful activity”.
- Voters in New Hampshire argue that all Americans have a constitutional right to “a ballot free of such an insurrectionist” as Trump.
‘Great peril’ for the nation
- Trump’s supporters argue that Section 3 does not apply to the office of the president.
- Even if it did, they assert, Trump’s speech should be protected by the First Amendment.
- Anderson’s supporters who seek Trump’s disqualification argue that Section 3 does apply to the president.
- And both sides argue that the Supreme Court must decide the issue now because any delay will “place the Nation in great peril”.
Wayne Unger does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.