What does Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment provide?
The Colorado Supreme Court ruling has sparked a lot of debate in the United States. It may be no different now in Maine. Trump and his entourage see it primarily as a political move on the part of Democrats.
Legal proceedings are still underway against Trump for his role in the storming of the Capitol building. The process will typically begin at the beginning of March 2024, although this is uncertain due to the appeals process. However, Colorado and Maine are not waiting for this process, but are relying on the Constitution.
The provision in question cited by the states prohibits officials involved in rebellion or rebellion from holding public office. Literally the ruling goes as follows:
“No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector for President or Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, having previously been sworn in as a Member In Congress, or as an employee of the United States, or as a member of any legislature of any State, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, in support of the Constitution of the United States, he shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or rendered aid or relief to its enemies. But Congress may, by a majority of two-thirds of each House, remove this impotence.”
The National Supreme Court has never ruled on Article 3 and its concrete consequences. According to legal experts in the United States, the decisions in Colorado and Maine show the need for clarification by the Supreme Court.
