House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has strongly criticized reports that Democrats are already working on legislation in response to the Supreme Court’s recent decision regarding former President Donald Trump’s eligibility for the 2024 ballot. The Court ruled that states do not have the authority to enforce Section 3 of the Constitution with respect to federal offices, including the Presidency, and that only Congress has the power to enforce it.
According to a report from Axios, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., is reportedly crafting federal legislation to force Trump off the ballot. However, a spokesperson for Speaker Johnson dismissed these efforts, stating that the American people, not the courts or Congress, should decide the next president.
Raskin referenced legislation he introduced in 2022 with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., that would allow the Justice Department to sue to keep candidates off the ballot under the 14th Amendment. He plans to revise this legislation in light of the Supreme Court’s decision and pair it with a resolution declaring Jan. 6 an “insurrection.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday unanimously agreed that states do not have enforcement authority under Section 3, but Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson expressed concerns about the majority’s interpretation of Congress’s enforcement authority.
Raskin’s office has not yet responded to requests for comment on the matter. The ongoing debate over Trump’s eligibility for the 2024 ballot continues to be a contentious issue, with both sides firmly entrenched in their positions.
