Law Expert: Colorado Is 'Special' In Fight To Boot Trump From Ballot

Harvard constitutional law professor Laurence Tribe shared his insights on the power of a Colorado lawsuit seeking to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot.

Six Colorado voters filed the lawsuit last week with the help of watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

It argues that Trump is disqualified from appearing on the states ballots in the presidential election under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The provision states that anyone who engaged in insurrection against the Constitution after taking an oath to defend it is prohibited from holding office.

Tribe told MSNBCs Ari Velshi on Sunday the lawsuit is the strongest challenge yet, in part because the plaintiffs clearly have standing under Colorado law and ironclad research backing up their complaint.

Tribe explained that Colorado is a special place because unlike many other states, Colorado has a specific statute which allows registered voters to take the secretary of state to court and demand that the secretary of state exclude anyone who doesnt meet all of the qualifications, even at the primary stage.

Tribe believes the case will end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Conversations about Trumps eligibility have gained traction after two conservative constitutional law scholars published arguments about the 14th Amendment last month.

After studying the topic at length, they determined Trump was barred from holding office.

Questions remained as to how the issue would be enforced, who would apply it and whether Trump was simply ineligible to hold office, or ineligible to run for it.

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On what's at stake in the 14th Amendment clause, Tribe says, This was a major protective provision put in there because [the founders] realized that those who take an oath to uphold the constitution and then turncoat against it might not end up being prosecuted for anything, he explains. Its important for the survival of the republic that someone who has shown him or herself to be an insurrectionist against the Constitution not get another chance to try.\n\n Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc\n \nFollow MSNBC Show Blogs \nMaddowBlog: https://www.msnbc.com/maddowblog\nReidOut Blog: https://www.msnbc.com/reidoutblog\n\nMSNBC delivers breaking news, in-depth analysis of politics headlines, as well as commentary and informed perspectives. 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