Minnesota Supreme Court Dismisses Lawsuit Seeking To Remove Trump From 2024 Primary Ballot

The Minnesota Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential primary ballot in the state.

The court found that state law permits parties to do as they wish in the primary election, writing that “winning the presidential nomination primary does not place the person on the general election ballot as a candidate for President of the United States.” However, the court did not address the question at the center of the case: whether Trump is eligible for office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which disqualifies public officials who took an oath to the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” from holding office.

“There is no state statute that prohibits a major political party from placing on the presidential nomination primary ballot, or sending delegates to the national convention supporting, a candidate who is ineligible to hold office,” Minnesota Chief Justice Natalie Hudson wrote for the court. “Because there is no error to correct here as to the presidential nomination primary, and petitioners’ other claims regarding the general election are not ripe, the petition must be dismissed, but without prejudice as to petitioners bringing a petition raising their claims as to the general election.”

Free Speech for People, an organization backed by left-wing donors, filed the Minnesota lawsuit in September, alleging Trump should be removed because he “engaged in insurrection” by attempting to “overthrow the results of the 2020 election” leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The Minnesota lawsuit was one of many seeking to remove Trump from the ballot under the 14th Amendment. A trial is ongoing in Colorado for a lawsuit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) filed seeking to remove Trump from the ballot.

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said in a statement Wednesday that he is grateful the court “acted quickly in this case to provide Minnesotans with certainty about who is eligible to appear on the ballot” for the coming primary.

“In just 72 days, on January 19, voters in Minnesota will begin to cast their ballot for the March 5 Presidential Nominating Primary,” Simon said. “The court has made it clear that former President Trump’s name will appear on the primary ballot, should the Republican party choose to submit him as a candidate. We respect this decision and will uphold the outcome.”