In a recent submission to the Supreme Court, the orange menaces legal team made a stark claim: the challenges to his eligibility for the 2024 ballot, rooted in allegations of his role in the events of January 6, 2021, pose a grave threat to national stability, from his own supporters. According to Trump's lawyers, these legal battles could spark widespread chaos and unrest across the country.
Trump's legal arguments, detailed in a 59-page brief, revolve around his eligibility to run for president, particularly in light of the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling that he should be barred from the ballot under the 14th Amendment due to the fact that you know, lead, fermented, and encouraged an insurrection on January 6, 2021, and then continuously provided aid and comfort thereafter.
The brief emphasizes Trump's stance that his actions post-2020 election and on January 6 do not constitute insurrection. It argues that his speech at the Ellipse, where he urged his followers to "fight like hell", falls under First Amendment protection and was not an incitement to violence. (imagine for a moment if I were to write an entire diary advising everybody of where Donald Trump was going to be at particular time and place, and that as many people who oppose him as possible should go there and "fight like Hell" or “you're not going to have a country anymore”… How long would it take for me to get a visit from the United States Secret Service?) Trumps lap dogs, I mean attorneys, also contend that raising concerns about election integrity does not equate to an act of violence or a threat of force.
However, this argument is countered by accounts of former White House aides and other evidence that pretty conclusively proves that Trump was aware of the potential for violence and refused to quell the unrest as it unfolded. Special counsel Jack Smith has brought criminal charges against Trump, alleging his reliance on the violent mob to obstruct Congress' certification of Joe Biden's victory.
The Supreme Court's decision to hear this case on February 8 marks a significant moment. The legal challenges against Trump, particularly the rulings in Colorado and Maine declaring him ineligible under the 14th Amendment, have not yet led to his removal from any ballots. However, they have raised urgent questions about the potential implications for the upcoming election and national stability, should Trump's eligibility remain unresolved.