The trial over an effort in Minnesota to keep former President Donald Trump off of the 2024 ballot began Thursday at the state Supreme Court as a similar case continued in Colorado.

The lawsuits in both states allege Trump should be barred from the 2024 ballot for his conduct leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. They argue Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which says no one who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” after swearing an oath to support and defend the Constitution can hold office.

A group of Minnesota voters, represented by the election reform group Free Speech for People, sued in September to remove Trump from the state ballot under the 14th Amendment provision. The petitioners include former Minnesota Secretary of State Joan Growe and former state Supreme Court Justice Paul H. Anderson.

  • poppy@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I’m also not convinced most of the people there on Jan 6 expected to actually accomplish anything. Most seemed just like idiot hooligans who wanted to fuck shit up. They didn’t have any clue what they’d do long term.

    • dynamojoe@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I think you’re right. Most of the Jan 6 seditionists were just there to have a rally. Most. Some legitimately traitorous people planned to do some heinous shit under the cover of the mob. That’s why it was allowed to get out of control; it was part of the plan.

    • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
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      1 year ago

      They are like the Hitler youth without the charismatic leader. They would be a useful tool for someone to seize power, but they’d have to be organised and no one really seems to exist that can do that. The only person they actually listen to isn’t smart enough to think of a whole sentence in one go.

      He’s definitely not going to be the charismatic leader to organise the unwashed masses.