Supreme Court Ruling on Donald Trump's Eligibility—What to Know

Donald Trump's presidential candidacy hangs in the balance after the U.S. Supreme Court signaled that it may rule on his subversion case at 10 a.m. on Monday.

The judgment in the Colorado case will likely determine if Trump can become president.

Trump was ruled ineligible by the Colorado Supreme Court for his alleged encouragement of the January 6 riot at the Capitol in 2021 and claims that he illegally tried to overturn the 2000 presidential election.

The Supreme Court announced on Sunday that it would issue at least one decision on Monday, which is likely to be the Colorado decision. Its written ruling will be posted online at 10 a.m. E.T.

It is likely the Colorado case because the Colorado Republican Party had requested that the Supreme Court rule before the Super Tuesday primaries on March 5. Colorado Republicans will be voting on Tuesday and need to know if Trump will be on the presidential ballot in November before making their decision, the Colorado Republican Party explained in its Supreme Court submission.

Even with a decision on Monday, it will be less than 24 hours before Colorado Republicans vote on their candidate. Trump is the front-runner to take the state's Republican nomination.

If the Supreme Court rules in Colorado, it will almost certainly decide the same subversion issue for other states that have excluded Trump.

He has been removed from the ballot in Colorado, Maine and Illinois, under the subversion clause of the 14th amendment. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, a Civil War-era clause, states that a person who "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" after taking an oath to uphold the Constitution is barred from running for federal office again.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in December that Trump is ineligible to run for office and he appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on January 3.

In early February, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case.

However, following those arguments, an Illinois judge ruled in late February that Trump is barred from appearing on the state's primary ballot this month based on the same "insurrection clause" of the 14th Amendment.

Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter heavily relied on the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling regarding Trump's candidacy in her decision, writing that the court's reasoning was "compelling."

The U.S. Supreme Court's potential ruling in the case comes one day before Trump and Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley are set to compete in the busiest day of the primary season, with Colorado and more than a dozen states holding races on Super Tuesday to decide on the next Republican presidential nominee.

Trump has already cemented his position as the clear favorite to take the 2024 Republican nomination, following resounding victories in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and Michigan.

Haley, Trump's former United Nations ambassador, has dismissed calls that she should drop out of the race after failing to win any of the previous primary elections, including in her home state of South Carolina. She said her campaign is focusing on Super Tuesday.