ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Supreme Court has turned down the Trump campaign's attempt to intervene in a ballot petition that seeks to ban the former president from appearing on the ballot in the state in 2024.
The ruling, published on Oct. 13, is the latest piece in a larger ongoing effort nationwide by organizations asking election officials to disqualify Trump based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution. But Minnesota is the first state where court action has been initiated because of a state law that allows voters to directly petition the Minnesota Supreme Court to disqualify a candidate.
While the campaign's petition was struck down, the court did outline a path for the campaign to get involved in the ongoing litigation, which stems from Trump's alleged involvement in the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
According to the court document, a request from the Republican Party of Minnesota to intervene in the matter was granted, but Donald Trump did not file a response to the petition.
Instead, Trump's campaign team, Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc., filed a response that included a footnote stating it was the legal entity charged with securing Trump's election in 2024.
According to the campaign, Trump didn't respond because he was not "subject to the personal jurisdiction of the court", said the filing.
The petition, filed with the Minnesota Supreme Court, argues that Trump is disqualified from public office under the rarely used “insurrection clause” of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Petitioners, including Democratic former Minnesota Secretary of State Joan Growe, argue that anyone who has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution and then engages in insurrection is barred from ever holding public office again.
The court gave the Trump campaign until Oct. 18 to file a brief that would allow the campaign to participate in oral arguments in the matter, which are scheduled to begin on Nov. 2.
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