Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court on Thursday arguing former President Donald Trump should remain on the primary ballot in Colorado.
The high court is set to review an unprecedented ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court that found Trump, 77, ineligible for high office due to his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Ramaswamy, 38, is Trump’s closest ally in the 2024 race, and argued in the filing he has special insight as a GOP candidate who is on the Colorado ballot.
Ramaswamy argued the former commander-in-chief should not be banned from Colorado’s ballot on three grounds: First, because the decision was inspired by his political opponents; Second, because the decision will apply to a deluge of future cases: And third, because Section 3 of the 14th amendment — which was used in the ruling — does not apply to former presidents.
“President Trump’s political opponents have sought to disqualify him from the ballot in multiple states because they fear they cannot beat him in a free and fair election,” the longshot candidate wrote in the brief reviewed by The Post.
Ramasmway previously vowed to withdraw from Colorado’s ballot if Trump is not reinstated, and called on his GOP rivals to do the same.
The court will hear arguments in the case Feb. 8, with the Colorado primary to be held March 5.
The Civil War-era amendment states, “No person shall … hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath … as an officer of the United States … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.”
Maine’s secretary of state also barred Trump from the primary ballot last month, using the same rationale.
Ramaswamy put forth that there is no definitive textual evidence that “an officer of the United States” refers to former presidents.
Barring Trump from the ballot will open a “Pandora’s box” of future candidates being disqualified, Ramaswamy went on.
“Unless this temptation is quickly squelched, it is not hard to imagine a presidential election in the not-
too-distant future in which each major-party candidate will appear on ballots in only half of the states,” he wrote.
The Supreme Court’s decision on Colorado will likely have repercussions in other states where challenges to Trump’s eligibility have taken place.