The first court with the merits of the argument that the Fourteenth Amendment disqualifies President Trump from serving again before it punted. This is not the Colorado case where a trial is taking place to determine if the secretary of state must exclude Trump from the primary ballot, but the Minnesota Supreme Court with essentially the same issue. Yesterday afternoon the court dismissed the case. Although the court did not issue a full opinion (one is promised) its order goes into some detail about the reasoning: that as a matter of Minnesota law a political party may nominate a candidate who is not eligible for the office being sought. The dismissal is without prejudice to the claims’ being brought with respect to the general election.
While the decision is at least a temporary win for Trump, it leaves open the possibility that there will be no Republican on the general election ballot in Minnesota.
Kudos to the CNN.com story for including a link to the order.
Jay Bohn
November 9, 2023