Michigan’s Supreme Court has decided not to hear an appeal seeking to exclude former President Donald Trump from the state’s primary election ballot.
The court, in an order issued Wednesday, denied the application by groups attempting to prevent Trump’s appearance on the ballot, stating that they were not persuaded that the presented questions warranted review by the court.
This decision comes after a divided Colorado Supreme Court ruling on December 19, which declared Trump ineligible for the presidency due to his involvement in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. This ruling marked the first instance in history where Section 3 of the 14th Amendment was utilized to disqualify a presidential candidate.
Numerous cases, including those in Michigan and Colorado, are seeking to keep Trump’s name off state ballots, citing the so-called insurrection clause that disqualifies individuals engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the Constitution from holding office.
In the Michigan case, it was revealed that Trump had pressured election officials in Wayne County not to certify the 2020 vote totals, according to a recording of a post-election phone call disclosed in a December 22 report by The Detroit News. Trump’s 2024 campaign has not confirmed or denied the recording’s legitimacy.
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Free Speech for People, a liberal nonprofit group involved in efforts to exclude Trump from the primary ballot in Minnesota, had urged Michigan’s Supreme Court to make a decision by Christmas Day, citing the need to finalize and print ballots for the presidential primary election. The group had sued Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, but a Michigan Court of Claims judge had rejected their arguments, stating in November that the question should be decided by Congress.