(Daily360.com) – Donald Trump’s legal team has yet another set of filings to make thanks to an Illinois judge. On February 28th Judge Tracie Porter of Cook County, Illinois decided that Trump should be removed from the state’s March 19 primary election ballot. Her order declares not only that Trump is removed but that any vote for him be suppressed and not counted.
She cites Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which is the same strategy previously attempted in Colorado and Maine. Trump’s legal team had two days to file an appeal which they announced they would be doing. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung released a statement that labeled Porter an “activist judge” and chastised her for overriding the Illinois state board of elections’ prior decision which stated that they did not have the authority to remove Trump. Cheung went on to write that Trump will remain on the Illinois ballot where he is “dominating the polls.”
Porter issued this ruling despite knowing the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has heard oral arguments regarding Trump’s ballot eligibility in a separate case from Colorado and is expected to rule soon. Most legal experts expect the SCOTUS to rule perhaps by an 8-1 margin in favor of Trump’s eligibility. Analysts looking at Porter’s decision mostly label it as grandstanding for political headlines.
Noted legal expert Jonathan Turley, a Law Professor at George Washington University, thinks that even the newest Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is viewed as very left-leaning, appears poised to rule in Trump’s favor. He bases this on her questions about the position of president, which seem to indicate she does believe the office is subject to the 14th Amendment. Turley believes the one potential outlier could be Justice Sonia Sotomayor who was appointed by Barack Obama in 2009. He bases this opinion on her questions during oral arguments, questions that appeared to show Sotomayor believes the events of January 6 constituted an “insurrection.”
Despite his legal challenges Trump has won all 2024 Republican primary contests by a large margin. He’s expected to carry Super Tuesday in much the same way and many expect his lone remaining competitor Nikki Haley to suspend her campaign at that time.
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