The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that Colorado cannot bar Donald Trump from appearing on the ballot in the state’s primary election under the 14th Amendment, resolving one of the major legal questions ahead of this fall’s presidential election, when Trump will most likely face-off against President Joe Biden again. The decision means Colorado and other states will not be able to bar Trump from the ballot over his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Only Congress has that power, the Court ruled.

BREAKING: States may not unilaterally disqualify Donald Trump from the ballot, the Supreme Court rules unanimously..

Only Congress can decide. https://t.co/RqBG4JTfs9 pic.twitter.com/RgaFk2H9Ts

In December, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump was ineligible to hold or seek office under Section 3 of the post-Civil War era 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which targeted former members of the Confederacy, barring people from holding any office if they have violated their oaths to the Constitution and “have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against” it.

Trump appealed the ruling and asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the matter, and the Court quickly agreed to review the case. It heard arguments on the case on February 8, and ruled less than a month later — which is breakneck speed when it comes to the Supreme Court. Up until now, the Court had never weighed in on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

Colorado was only the first state to try to kick Trump off the ballot. Maine’s Democratic Secretary of State also concluded that Trump was ineligible to appear on the ballot there, as did a judge reviewing the matter for Illinois board of election.

Many pundits and legal experts had emphasized that the state-level efforts to prevent Trump from running for office again under the 14th Amendment were unlikely to succeed, particularly since the conservative-majority Supreme Court would ultimately get the final word. Analysis of how the February 8 hearing went indicated the same.

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