Oregon Supreme Court won’t remove Trump from ballot, for now
By Joe Hathaway on Monday, January 15th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
SALEM — The Oregon Supreme Court enabled former President Trump to remain on the state’s primary ballot Friday, declining to take up a challenge to his eligibility, for now.
The court said it would instead wait for the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on whether Trump can be disqualified from the ballot under the 14th Amendment.
Anti-Trump groups have filed challenges to Trump’s ballot placement in states across the country, although most of the lawsuits have largely been unsuccessful.
The Oregon lawsuit was filed on behalf of five voters by nonprofit Free Speech For People, which has helped lead a national campaign seeking Trump’s removal. Their argument is that Trump violated section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The section of the amendment states anyone who swore an oath to support the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it will be barred from holding office. Anti-Trump plaintiffs have cited Trump’s actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol as a violation, yet the former President has not been charged or convicted of insurrection
According to Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade, “she had no authority under Oregon law, at the primary election stage, to consider Mr. Trump’s qualification to serve as President.”
Griffin-Valade is reiterating a similar statement made at the end of November where she said she expected Trump to appear on the primary ballot “unless the court directs me otherwise.”
Oregon’s presidential primary ballots must be finalized by March 21, 2024.
