The Supreme Court heard a case Thursday that could decide whether President Donald Trump appears on the ballot in the 2024 election.
Here are the key takeaways and what's next.
What Happened: Trump appealed to the High Court following the decision by the Colorado Supreme Court to remove the former president from that state’s ballot for the 2024 election.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court heard arguments from both sides and shared their own commentary, which could point to which way they will decide. Thursday's hearing took around two hours, according to a report from CNN.
Supreme Court justices tipped their hats several times to siding with Trump's lawyers in the case based on how the insurrection ban in the 14th Amendment should be applied and if removing a candidate from a state ballot is democratic in nature.
Chief Justice John Roberts voiced concern that if Trump is removed from the ballot in Colorado, other states could knock candidates off their ballots.
"It'll come down to just a handful of states that are going to decide the presidential election. That's a pretty daunting consequence," Roberts said.
Biden-nominated Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sided with the argument that the 14th Amendment insurrection clause might not be applicable to a president.
"I guess that just makes me worry that maybe they weren't focused on the president," Jackson said of the clause.
While the lawyers arguing to keep Trump off the ballot centered on the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court Justices often tuned the argument back to the wording of the 14th Amendment and what decisions states should make on ballots.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that Trump has not been convicted of inciting an insurrection, which might make him ineligible to be disqualified from the ballot over the insurrection clause.
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Trump Speaks Out After Supreme Court Hearing: Trump made comments outside his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida after the Supreme Court case was wrapped in a live video streaming on Rumble Inc (NASDAQ:RUM).
"I thought it was very — it's a very beautiful process. I hope that democracy in this country will continue," Trump said.
Trump said he hopes the arguments from his lawyers were "well received."
The former president, who was impeached twice while in office, also suggested in his speech that his position as the frontrunner in the 2024 election should factor in the Supreme Court's decision.
"An argument that is very important is the fact that you're leading in every race. You're leading in every state. You're leading in the country against both Republican and Democrat and Biden."
Trump said it would be tough for the Supreme Court to take that away and not let him run.
"I'm leaving it up to the Supreme Court."
What's Next: The Supreme Court was previously asked to issue an option in the case by Feb. 11. According to the SCOTUSBlog, the Supreme Court is unlikely to meet a Feb. 11 deadline.
Feb. 11 marks one day before ballots for the state primary in Colorado are mailed out to residents ahead of the March 5 primary date.
Colorado is one of several states hosting primaries on March 5. The date, known as Super Tuesday, is when the largest number of states holding their primaries.
The decision by the Supreme Court could have an impact on other states mounting similar challenges to remove Trump from election ballots.
Shares of Digital World Acquisition (NASDAQ:DWAC), which is merging with Trump Media & Technology Group, are often volatile around legal proceedings involving Trump. Shares of the SPAC will likely be closely watched in the days after the court case and after a decision is reached by the Supreme Court justices.
DWAC Price Action: Digital World Acquisition shares are up 5% to $48 versus a 52-week trading range of $12.34 to $58.72.
Photo via Shutterstock.
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