Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said Tuesday he will soon introduce legislation to prevent state politicians and entities such as the Colorado Supreme Court from disqualifying presidential candidates from the ballot on Constitutional matters that should be decided only by the Supreme Court.
Earlier Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled former President Donald Trump cannot appear on the state Republican primary ballot in next year's presidential election because of his role in the events of Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol. Trump opponents have sought to keep him off the ballot in several states using Section 3 of the 14th Amendment that disqualifies from office those who engage in insurrection against the Constitution after taking an oath to support it. Colorado's high court became the first in the nation to rule against Trump.
"Regardless of whether you support or oppose former President Donald Trump, it is outrageous to see left-wing activists make a mockery of our political system by scheming with partisan state officials and pressuring judges to remove him from the ballot," Tillis said in a news release.
Tillis' Constitutional Election Integrity Act seeks to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002, adding language that the U.S. Supreme Court has sole jurisdiction to decide claims arising out of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The legislation also withholds federal funding for election administration from states that misuse the 14th Amendment for political purposes.
"American voters, not partisan activists, should decide who we elect as our president," Tillis said. "The Constitutional Election Integrity Act would put any constitutional challenges in the sole place they belong: the U.S. Supreme Court."
Similar lawsuits in Minnesota and New Hampshire have been dismissed. A judge in Michigan ruled last month the issue was too political and not for him to decide, and an appeals court affirmed the decision. Trump's opponents appealed to the Michigan Supreme Court.