Appeal successful

Supreme Court: Trump may run in Colorado

All nine judges have voted in favor of Donald Trump.(Bild: AP)

The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's continued participation in the primaries. And it did so with rare unanimity: all nine judges upheld his appeal. The former president had been removed from the ballot in Colorado for his role in the storming of the US Capitol.

The Supreme Court's reversal of the state supreme court's ruling comes as no surprise. At a hearing in early February, several supreme court justices made clear their skepticism about such an election ban.

All nine judges have now upheld the ex-president's appeal, overruling their colleagues. The judges from Colorado invoked the ban on insurrection in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. 

Trump's role in the storming of the US Capitol
It states, in essence, that no one may hold a higher office in the state who has previously participated in an insurrection against the state as a public official. Opponents of the Republican argue that he has forfeited his right to become president again with his behavior surrounding the storming of the Capitol.

For many experts, the Supreme Court's decision had a historic dimension even before the actual ruling, as the judge's decision has a direct influence on the course of the presidential election. The decision was made immediately before "Super Tuesday" - the court thus provided clarity before the important election day. On Tuesday, the Republicans and Democrats will hold internal party primaries in more than a dozen US states - including Colorado.

Things get serious again for Trump at the end of April
Trump wants to run again for the Republicans in the US presidential election at the beginning of November. Anyone who wants to run as a presidential candidate must prevail in internal party primaries. Plaintiffs in various states have been trying for some time to prevent Trump's participation in the primaries and have the 77-year-old's name removed from the ballot.

The Supreme Court is currently dealing with another case that has nothing to do with the question of the ballot paper. The court wants to clarify whether former presidents are protected from prosecution for actions in office. The background to this is the criminal case against Trump in Washington for attempted election fraud. A hearing before the US Supreme Court is scheduled for the end of April.