Supreme Court Announcement Stuns Legal Experts: 'Completely Inappropriate'

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Kate Plummer is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics and national affairs, and she is particularly interested in the impact of social policy decisions on people as well as the finances of political campaigns, corruption, foreign policy, democratic processes and more. Prior to joining Newsweek, she covered U.K. politics extensively. Kate joined Newsweek in 2023 from The Independent and has also been published in multiple publications including The Times and the Daily Mail. She has a B.A. in History from the University of Oxford and an M.A. in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London.

Languages: English.

You can get in touch with Kate by emailing k.plummer@newsweek.com, or by following her on X at @kateeplummer.

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The Supreme Court's decision to issue an opinion about Donald Trump's eligibility for state ballots on Monday surprised some legal experts.

The Court handed Trump a major win on the eve of Super Tuesday, allowing his name to appear on the primary ballot in states that have challenged his presidential candidacy.

In its opinion, the Court sided with Trump in the 14th Amendment challenge from Colorado, overturning the state Supreme Court's decision that he was ineligible for the ballot because of his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The decision came before the biggest primary day of the 2024 election cycle, known as Super Tuesday, when voters in 16 states, including Colorado, and one territory will make their choices known. Maine, which was among the three states awaiting the Supreme Court's decision on the validity of Trump's candidacy, is also holding its primary on Tuesday. Illinois, the third state affected by Monday's decision, is not holding its primary until March 19.

The former president had been removed from ballots in Maine and Colorado because of the 14th Amendment, but the decision has been stayed pending the Supreme Court opinion. Trump, the GOP front-runner, has denied all wrongdoing.

Supreme Court
Pedestrians in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on February 29. The Supreme Court has handed Donald Trump a major win. Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

Newsweek contacted the Supreme Court for comment via an online form.

On X, formerly Twitter, Norm Eisen, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, wrote before the opinion was released that, if the court ruled in Trump's favor, then it would be "completely inappropriate."

"Why pick the day before Super Tuesday to give Trump a likely big judicial win?" Eisen said.

He added, "It's like an in-kind campaign contribution!"

Craig Silverman, an attorney in Denver, wrote: "Colorado will lose in the United States Supreme Court. But history will be kind to Colorado and our Supreme Court. And in the end, the truth will win, and MAGA will lose. The only question now is how much damage Trump/Putin will do in the interim."

Speaking to Newsweek before the ruling, Todd Landman, a professor of political science at the University of Nottingham, disagreed that the timing is inappropriate.

"The state of Colorado is one of the states that is part of Super Tuesday, along with 15 other states. If the court did not issue a ruling today, voters can still vote for Donald Trump as, oddly, his name is still on the ballot," Landman said.

He added: "However, if the Supreme Court issues a decision on this case, it would provide clarity before tomorrow. I thus think that announcing the decision today is not inappropriate."

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About the writer

Kate Plummer is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics and national affairs, and she is particularly interested in the impact of social policy decisions on people as well as the finances of political campaigns, corruption, foreign policy, democratic processes and more. Prior to joining Newsweek, she covered U.K. politics extensively. Kate joined Newsweek in 2023 from The Independent and has also been published in multiple publications including The Times and the Daily Mail. She has a B.A. in History from the University of Oxford and an M.A. in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London.

Languages: English.

You can get in touch with Kate by emailing k.plummer@newsweek.com, or by following her on X at @kateeplummer.

Writers Page

Kate Plummer is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. politics and national affairs, and ... Read more