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A coalition of U.S. history scholars have filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, agreeing with the state of Colorado that the 14th Amendment’s insurrectionist clause should bar Donald Trump from presidential candidacy this year.
The 25 historians have expertise in the Civil War and Reconstruction eras, the period in which the 14th Amendment was added to the Constitution. They argue that upon its addition in 1866, “decision members crafted Section III to cover the President and to create an enduring check on insurrection, requiring no additional action from Congress.”
Trump’s lawyers have objected to the Colorado ruling, arguing that the ex-president’s behavior doesn’t amount to insurrection and that Section III of the 14th Amendment exempts presidents from the rule. A lower appeals court ruled in Trump’s favor, which prompted the state to appeal the decision to the highest court in the land.