Why Supreme Court justices would be 'fools' to reverse Colorado ruling: columnist

The Supreme Court should uphold the Colorado case disqualifying former President Donald Trump from running again under the 14th Amendment, wrote Amanda Marcotte for Salon — not just because it is the constitutionally correct decision, but because it's one that ultimately benefits the Republican Party.

"The reality is we're facing a situation never seen before in the United States," wrote Marcotte. "A shameless insurrectionist is running for president while under 91 felony indictments. To add to this historic situation, the Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday banned Trump from appearing on the state's Republican presidential primary ballot. The 4-3 decision follows the clear language of the Constitution's 14th Amendment barring those who 'have engaged in insurrection' from running for office."

Political commentators broadly expect the Supreme Court, with its 6-3 Republican majority, to reverse the decision. Yet they would be "fools" to do this, wrote Marcotte — not just because the logic of the state court is airtight, but because the GOP itself would benefit from Trump being disqualified.

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If the GOP were forced to run Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley instead of Trump, wrote Marcotte, it "relieves their beloved Republican Party of the squawking orange albatross around its neck. He may be up in the polls now, but history shows that Trump and his election denialism have caused the GOP to underperform in every single election after 2016." Not only that, but Trump could be convicted in one or more criminal cases after securing the nomination.

Taking all of this together, she concluded, getting rid of Trump now improves the GOP's odds of defeating President Joe Biden.

"You have a choice, justices. The next few years of your life can be defined by billionaire-funded fishing trips and arcane tax lawsuits no one cares about. Or it can be taken up by case after case about Trump and his transgressions. Just as a matter of personal comfort, pick the former," wrote Marcotte, concluding, "Just get rid of him, Supreme Court justices. You know, deep down in your hearts, it will be a lot nicer for you when he's gone."