Minnesota's secretary of state responds to Supreme Court's ruling on Trump's ballot eligibility
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Secretary of State says "voters are in charge of what happens next" after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot bar former President Donald Trump from the ballot.
Monday's ruling overturned a decision from Colorado's top court and handed the GOP presidential frontrunner a victory in an unprecedented case that threatened to derail his bid to return to the White House.
In December, the Colorado Supreme Court determined Trump was ineligible for the presidency due to conduct surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The Colorado court's divided decision rested on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, known as the insurrection clause, which bars oath-taking insurrectionists from holding public office.
In its opinion on Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court said only Congress can enforce the clause. Reversal of the Colorado decision ensures that votes cast for Trump in the state's Republican presidential primary will be counted, and his name will appear on ballots nationwide unless Congress itself acts, which is unlikely.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon issued a response after the decision, saying the ruling "provides voters the clarity and finality they deserve."
"We now know that former President Trump will remain on the Republican Primary ballot across the country — including in Minnesota. Voters are in charge of what happens next," he said.
In November, Minnesota's highest court ruled against a petition seeking to keep Trump off the state's 2024 primary ballot, but did leave the door open to a potential subsequent challenge should Trump be selected as the Republican nominee in the general election.
