The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow on Monday to efforts to have former President Donald Trump removed from ballots in different states.
The Court denied a writ of certiorari petition from John Castro, a registered Republican candidate for President in 2024, who sought to have Trump removed from the ballot in Arizona.
"Castro, John A. V. Fontes, AZ Sec. Of State, et al. The petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment is denied," the U.S. Supreme Court wrote in a document released this week which turned down a review of an earlier decision allow Trump on the ballot in Arizona.
Castro had previously filed lawsuits in several different states to have Trump removed from presidential ballots over his alleged connection to the January 6 riots at the Capitol and alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
But in December, 2023, at the federal district court in Arizona, Judge Douglas L. Rayes, dismissed Castro's lawsuit, which prompted him to take the case to the Supreme Court.
The judge said that Castro's argument "lacks standing to bring his claim," NBC News reported. Castro argued that Trump should be removed from the ballot in Arizona because he "gave aid and comfort to insurrectionists on January 6, 2021."
The judge also said that his arguments "do not show that Castro is truly competing with Trump."
In March, the U.S. Supreme Court handed Trump a major win, allowing his name to remain on presidential ballots in Colorado, following efforts to have him removed.
In an opinion issued in March, the Court sided with Trump in the 14th Amendment challenge from Colorado, overturning the state Supreme Court's decision that he was ineligible for the ballot because of his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The Colorado Supreme Court found that Trump was ineligible due to violations of the 14th Amendment, which bars individuals holding office from running again if they "engaged in insurrection or rebellion."
In February, the justices heard oral arguments in the Colorado case and signaled they would rule in favor of Trump as they questioned why individual states should be allowed to determine the eligibility of a national candidate. A decision was not expected until March 15, but a surprise scheduling update on last month indicated the ruling would come before Super Tuesday.
While speaking to reporters following the Supreme Court decision in March, Trump said, "I think it will go a long way toward bringing our country together, which our country needs."
"They [the justices] worked hard. And frankly, they worked very quickly on something that will be spoken about 100 years from now and 200 years from now, extremely important," Trump said.
Newsweek reached out to Castro via his website and Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
