WTF Just Happened Today

Monday, January 8, 2024

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1/ The Supreme Court agreed to review the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove Trump from that state’s ballot. The court will hear the case on an expedited basis with arguments starting Feb. 8. The Colorado Republican Party urged the justices to rule by March 5, when many states, including Colorado, hold their primaries. Last month, Colorado’s top court disqualified Trump from the ballot, finding he engaged in an insurrection before and during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Maine’s secretary of state also barred Trump from that ballot over his role in the Capitol attack. Trump is separately appealing that ruling to a state court in Maine. The Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, meanwhile, filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court supporting Trump’s efforts to remain on the 2024 ballot. (New York Times / NPR / NBC News / Washington Post / Associated Press / CBS News / CNN / Bloomberg)

• Trump refused to sign Illinois’ ballot pledge to not “advocate the overthrow of the government.” “Under Illinois law, presidential candidates wanting to be on the state’s March 19th primary ballot had to turn in their nominating petitions to the State Board of Elections on Thursday or Friday, and the loyalty oath is a time-honored part of that process.” (WBEZ / Chicago Sun-Times)

• Trump suggested that if he is re-elected he would have Biden indicted. “Trump has argued that former presidents are entitled to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for any “official acts” conducted during their presidency.” (NBC News)

2/ Trump asked a Georgia judge to dismiss his 13 felony racketeering and conspiracy charges for trying to subvert the 2020 election, claiming the election subversion case violated presidential immunity, double jeopardy, and due process protections. Trump argued that pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021 to “find” enough votes to overturn Biden’s victory in the state was part of his official duties as president, and therefore he should enjoy immunity from crimi...

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