Where will voters – and the Court – draw the line?
How the Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling will impact Northview Students’ vote in November
Graphic by Milly Miao, Managing/Multimedia Editor, & Sydney Mulford, Editor-in-Chief
Carter Willis, Copy/Sports Editor
In September of 2023, six voters in Colorado filed a lawsuit to remove former President Donald Trump from the state’s election ballot. The voters brought the suit to the Denver District Court in Colorado because of Trump’s role in the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, citing the Constitution as the basis of their claim.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states that an individual is not allowed to hold office if they “engaged in insurrection or rebellion,” after taking an oath to uphold the Constitution. The petitioners originally filed the suit in the Denver District Court which eventually proceeded to the Colorado Supreme Court. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled in a 4-3 decision to exclude Trump from the ballot. The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will now hear another appeal of the case, with oral arguments on Feb. 8.
The contentious ruling’s partisan implications will impact the 2024 presidential elections. SCOTUS’ upcoming decision will not only determine whether Trump is eligible to be on the Colorado ballot, but it will also set a precedent if other states choose to follow in Colorado’s footsteps. With the Republican primary already underway and Trump as the likely nominee, voters are already looking toward who they will cast their vote for in November. Current Northview seniors and juniors who will turn 18 years old before November’s election day are taking the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling, and Trump’s role in Jan. 6, into account.
“[With the Trump presidency], I think we saw the erosion of democracy,” senior Avi Dhyani, the former Vice President of the Georgia High School Democrats, said. “We didn’t go from a normal presidency to Jan. 6. It was a build-up, and we knew it was coming.”
Regardless of the ruling, Northview students will continue to be active and politically engaged in the upcoming election process. While students cannot actively engage in political discussions in the classroom regarding the curriculum, many express their beliefs in extracurricular activities inside and outside of Northview.
“I’ve seen kids involved with politicians, and political actions: pro-life, pro-choice, pro 1st Amendment, and I’ve also seen kids involved with political campaigns,” Brian Downey, Fulton Country Zone 6 Superintendent said. “In education, we try to stay out of politics, but as a generalization, [students engage in politics through extracurriculars.]”
The general consensus among Northview students – on both sides of the political spectrum – appears to be that Jan. 6 was an insurrection and detrimental to the United States democracy. While Jan. 6 may not prevent conservative students at Northview from voting for the former president again, they agree that Jan. 6 was a step too far.
“I think we were better off [during Trump’s presidency],” senior Cooper Cammack said. “But I also feel like his antics distracted from any positive impact he had as president. My mind is still made up when it comes to who I’m voting for, though.”
The Colorado suit going to SCOTUS will not have much of an impact on the decision of Northview voters’ opinions on who to vote for because those appear to have their minds made up. However, the potential of physically taking Trump off the ballot would obviously impact how Northview students vote.
“Trump stopped the peaceful transfer of power, so I think it was completely legitimate to use the 14th Amendment,” Dhyani said. “If we don’t use the 14th Amendment now, [our government] will be eroded.”
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment is also known as the “insurrectionist ban.” The purpose of adding it to the 14th Amendment was to ensure that Confederate politicians did not regain power after the Civil War during the Era of Reconstruction. This section had not been used until after Jan. 6. While Dhyani supports the use of this rediscovered section of the 14th Amendment that was added in only because of the Confederacy, Cammack is more hesitant about its use.
“I’m not opposed to taking him off of it, it’s just a slippery slope because this could open the door for other legal challenges for other presidencies that don’t actually have anything worth being challenged,” Cammack said.
