NationalWatch

In a blow to the Biden administration’s effort to increase corporate transparency, an Alabama federal district judge has ruled that the Treasury Department cannot require small business owners to report details on their owners and others who benefit from the business.

U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke decided late Friday that the Corporate Transparency Act, a landmark U.S. anti-money laundering law enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021, is unconstitutional on the grounds that Congress exceeded its powers in enacting the law — and so the rulemaking stemming from it is unlawful.

The National Small Business Association filed suit in November 2022 to block the requirement that tens of millions of small businesses register with the government as part of an effort to prevent the criminal abuse of anonymous shell companies.

THIS 2024 MASS DATA COLLECTION PROGRAM HAS BEGUN AND GOVERNMENT IS TARGETING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

The small business lobbying group argued that the reporting rule violates the Constitution, saying it is unduly burdensome on small firms, violates privacy and free-speech protections and infringes on states’ powers to govern businesses.

The Treasury Department is seen near sunset in Washington, Jan. 18, 2023. In a blow to President Joe Biden administration’s effort to increase corporate transparency, an Alabama federal district judge ruled Friday, March 1, 2024, that the Treasury Department cannot require small business owners to report details on their owners and others who benefit from the business. U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke decided that the Corporate Transparency Act is unconstitutional on the grounds that Congress exceeded its powers in enacting the law. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, File)

The legal challenge points to the friction between maintaining privacy rights and the government’s effort to uncover sources of criminal activity, especially as the U.S. has attempted to sanction Russian oligarchs and wealthy friends of Russian President Vladimir Putin following the start of his invasion of Ukraine.

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Burke, appointed to the federal court by former President Donald Trump, called the Corporate Transparency Act “congressional overreach” and wrote that “the Corporate Transparency Act is unconstitutional because it cannot be justified as an exercise of Congress’ enumerated powers.”

A Treasury spokesperson said, “Congress overwhelmingly voted to enact the bipartisan Corporate Transparency Act in 2021 to crack down on illicit shell companies and combat financial crime. We are complying with the Court’s injunction” and referred The Associated Press to the Justice Department for further inquiries.

Ian Gary, executive director of the FACT Coalition, a nonprofit that promotes corporate transparency, said in an email that “this is a pro-crime, pro-drug cartel, pro-fentanyl ruling which undermines the rule of law and allows criminals to use anonymous shell companies to hide their dirty money from law enforcement.”

A co-defendant in the 2020 Georgia election interference case says a new witness is prepared to testify against Fani Willis should evidence be re-opened in her disqualification proceedings. 

David Shafer, a former Georgia Republican Party chairman, filed a notice of proposed testimony in Fulton County Superior Court announcing that Cindi Lee Yeager, a co-chief deputy district attorney for Cobb County, stands ready to appear as a witness, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. 

According to the filing, Yeager claims to have had “numerous” interactions with the defense’s star witness, Terrence Bradley, and can corroborate his claims that Willis began an affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade years earlier than they both claimed.

“Mr. Wade had definitively begun a romantic relationship with Ms. Willis during the time that Ms. Willis was running for District Attorney in 2019 through 2020,” a summary of Yeager’s proposed testimony states.

TRUMP LAWYERS MAKE CLOSING ARGUMENTS IN DA FANI WILLIS ‘IMPROPER’ AFFAIR ALLEGATIONS: ‘IRREPARABLE STAIN’

District Attorney Fani Willis previously said the allegations of an “improper” romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade were made because she is Black. (Getty Images)

The motion informs the court that Yeager contacted Shafer’s counsel after watching Bradley’s testimony. She told the attorneys about alleged in-person and other conversations she had with Bradley from August 2023 through January 2024, during which they discussed Willis and Wade. 

Bradley, Wade’s former law partner and divorce attorney, allegedly told Yeager that Willis and Wade initiated their romantic relationship shortly after meeting at the 2019 Municipal Court Continuing Legal Education Conference, and that it continued through 2020, while Willis campaigned for district attorney. 

Yeager alleges Bradley shared that he had “personal knowledge” of the affair and included details regarding the use of Robin Yeartie’s apartment and other meetings before November 2021, when Wade and Willis claim their relationship started.

The Cobb County prosecutor also claims she overheard a September 2023 phone conversation between Willis and Bradley discussing an article about how much money Wade and his law firm had earned from working on the election interference case. 

FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS ACCUSED OF LYING ABOUT TIMING OF AFFAIR WITH TRUMP PROSECUTOR

Judge Scott McAfee has been asked to hear additional testimony challenging Terrence Bradley’s testimony about Fani Willis and Nathan Wade’s relationship. (Alyssa Pointer/Getty Images)

During this alleged conversation, which took place before Bradley was subpoenaed as a witness against Willis, Yeager claims she heard the district attorney tell Bradley, “They are coming after us. You don’t need to talk to them about anything about us.”

The motion states Yeager agreed to come forward after seeing how Bradley’s testimony during Willis’ disqualification hearing did not match what he had purportedly told her. 

“Therefore, in the event that the Court re-opens the hearing to receive additional evidence, as requested by the State and Defendant former President Trump, Mr. Shafer requests that the defense be permitted to subpoena Ms. Yeager and present Ms. Yeager’s testimony relating to the matters set forth herein,” the motion states.

It is unclear if Judge Scott McAfee will reopen evidence to allow Yeager’s testimony to be admitted. 

KEY WITNESS IN FANI WILLIS CASE TESTIFIES HE MAY HAVE LIED IN TEXTS ABOUT FRIENDS’ AFFAIR

Former President Donald Trump and 18 others have been charged in a RICO conspiracy case for allegedly attempting to overthrow the 2020 election results in Georgia. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis brought the case, but several Trump co-defendants are trying to have her disqualified over allegations she had an improper affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

The judge heard closing arguments Friday on allegations that Willis benefited financially from her affair with Wade and should be disqualified from her case against former President Donald Trump. 

Willis and her office are leading the sweeping racketeering cases against the former president and 18 co-defendants. Several co-defendants, including Shafer and Michael Roman, earlier this year accused Willis of hiring Wade while they were romantically involved and that she benefited from his government salary through lavish vacations they took together. 

Willis and Wade have both denied the allegations and have claimed their romantic involvement started after Wade was hired in 2021. Willis claimed in court testimony that she would always reimburse Wade for her portion of their shared travels in cash. There are no receipts for those reimbursements, and one witness claimed their relationship started as early as 2019. 

Last month, Bradley testified under oath regarding what he knew about Willis and Wade’s personal relationship. He took the stand after McAfee determined Bradley could not claim attorney-client privilege.

Bradley, when pressed under oath, said he could not recall several details and timelines about conversations he had with former client Wade about Wade’s romantic relationship with Willis.

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Bradley said he could not recall key details or specific information more than two dozen times in the roughly two-hour testimony in Fulton County Superior Court on Tuesday. He also said he had only ever discussed Wade’s relationship with Willis once with Wade.

After hearing all the arguments and testimony, McAfee said he would issue a decision in the next two weeks. 

Fox News’ Brianna Herilhy contributed to this report.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, currently in the middle of a contentious Republican Senate primary race, is touting a key endorsement from a prominent pro-Second Amendment group in the state and making the case that he is the strongest candidate when it comes to gun rights.

“I have stood up to fight for gun rights when it’s hard,” LaRose told Fox News Digital. “It’s easy to say you’re a pro-gun conservative on the campaign trail. Everybody’s going to say that. But when you’re actually standing up on the Senate floor to cast a vote and people in the gallery are yelling terrible things about you, and you still do the right thing, that demonstrates who you are.”

LaRose was recently endorsed in the race by the Buckeye Firearms Association, the largest grassroots pro-Second Amendment group in the state, and told Fox News Digital he believes his record on guns tops the other Republicans in the field, businessman Bernie Moreno and state Sen. Matt Dolan.

“Four years ago, Mr. Moreno recorded a video mocking gun owners and saying, you know, ‘Who needed 100 bullets to shoot a deer?’ Which is a profound misunderstanding of what the Second Amendment is actually for. When he says that you should be able to classify guns like you rank, like you rate movies, kind of makes this bizarre comparison to pornography and says, guns should be rated PG, R and not R, He’s really mirroring some long-standing leftist talking points on gun control.” 

GOP SENATOR ENDORSES TRUMP-BACKED OHIO SENATE CANDIDATE TO FACE VULNERABLE DEMOCRAT

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (AP Photo/Paul Vernon, File)

LaRose was referring to a 2019 interview, that his campaign has posted on social media, comparing it to messaging from Democrats, where Moreno said he doesn’t believe in taking guns away but questioned why someone needs “100 bullets at time” and asked how “you are going to eat a deer that has 100 bullets in it?”

LaRose also questioned Moreno’s six-year tenure as a board member of a Cleveland Foundation that gave money to a Michael Bloomberg-linked anti-gun group, suggesting that Moreno should have resigned in protest when the foundation gave money to liberal causes. 

GOP SENATE CANDIDATE IN BATTLEGROUND STATE RAILS AGAINST VULNERABLE DEM INCUMBENT: ‘OUT OF TOUCH’

Bernie Moreno (AP Photo/Joe Maiorana, File)

“I think he was showing us who he really is,” LaRose said. “I think that a lot of the other groups recognize that that’s not genuine. That’s why folks like Buckeye Firearms are endorsing me and no one else for the race.“

Moreno told Fox News Digital that he is a lifetime member of the NRA, received the highest rating a non-incumbent can receive from BFA, criticized LaRose for supporting No Labels in the past, and said it is “stupid” and “desperate” to imply that he was mocking gun owners in the 2019 interview, which he called an attempt to “fool” Ohio voters.

“The reality is I was born in Colombia, South America,” Moreno, who has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, said. “I understand exactly why we have a Second Amendment. That’s not confusing to me. It’s to protect from the tyranny of government and what we’ve seen over the last three years, especially with COVID, government overreach is exactly what happens when you have a population that’s not armed.” 

“From my point of view, I look at my wife, we have guns in the car, guns that we carry on ourselves because we get death threats and all kinds of lunatics. So a gun that has 100 bullets, I look at it as 100 chances for my wife to survive. So I completely understand it. Frank’s trying to take something that was said obviously in jest in a podcast years and years and years ago where I wasn’t in public office, I wasn’t somebody making public policy.”

LaRose also criticized Dolan for his previous support of a “red flag” law in the state.

“Dolan is well known as an anti-gun guy,” LaRose told Fox News Digital. “He literally sponsored the red flag law in Ohio. He wrote it and introduced it, I think twice, that would allow firearms confiscation. This was a bill that was so liberal that, of course, it didn’t go anywhere in our state legislature. But when it comes to gun rights, both of my opponents have shown themselves to be weak on this issue, and I’ve demonstrated the opposite.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Dolan campaign spokesperson Brad Miller defended Dolan’s record on gun rights. 

“Matt Dolan has a strong Second Amendment record, including supporting the Castle Doctrine, concealed carry, and constitutional carry,” Miller said. 

“Matt stands with law enforcement fighting to keep suicidal and homicidal individuals from purchasing a gun and enhancing straw purchase laws to keep guns out of criminal hands. Frank LaRose can explain to Ohioans why he thinks those individuals who want to harm fellow citizens should be able to purchase a gun.”

LaRose told Fox News Digital that gun rights are a key issue in the Buckeye State, where hunting, freedom and being self-sufficient are important to voters.

“We’re a state with people that don’t want to simply rely, although we support law enforcement and we’re all about protecting our men and women in blue, we want to be able to take care of protecting our families ourselves,” LaRose explained. “Because maybe sometimes, you live a long way from the police station, and if you are in jeopardy or your family’s in jeopardy, you believe in being able to protect yourself and these are all values that Ohioans hold dear, and it’s not just an urban or rural issue.”

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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Matt Dolan (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Polling in late January by Emerson College suggested all three candidates are essentially tied. Polling released by the Moreno campaign this week showed him holding a 10-point lead but also showed that 27% of voters are undecided with just a couple weeks left before the primary.

Ohioans will decide on Tuesday, March 19, which candidate will become the GOP nominee to square off against incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in a race the Cook Political Report rates as a “toss up” and which will have a significant impact on Republican attempts to take back control of the U.S. Senate.

LaRose told Fox News Digital that voters he speaks to are “fearful” that a Republican who isn’t strong on the Second Amendment will go up against Brown, who he says is in lockstep with Biden on an anti-gun agenda.

“This is why when I hold my campaign events around the state, I’ve got a lot of pro-gun people showing up because they know when it comes to this issue, there’s only one candidate they can really trust,” LaRose said.

“There are a lot of good Second Amendment advocates in Ohio who support our agenda,” Dean Rieck, executive director of Buckeye Firearms Association, told Fox News Digital. “However, Frank LaRose is a longtime partner who has always gone the extra mile to improve our laws and protect the rights of Ohio’s 4 million gun owners. He’ll be a great senator representing us in Washington, D.C.”

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell could endorse former President Donald Trump in the 2024 race as one of his last major actions before leaving leadership.

McConnell’s office and Trump’s presidential campaign have been in talks over a possible endorsement, as well as a strategy to unite Republicans just eight months away from the November election, according to The Associated Press, citing a person familiar with the situation.

McConnell is currently the highest-ranking Republican in Congress who has yet to back the former president’s bid to return to the White House.

Any potential endorsement comes as Trump is competing with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to win the Republican nomination, and as both candidates compete for a whopping 854 delegates at stake on Super Tuesday, March 5.

WHAT TO WATCH IN SUPER TUESDAY PRIMARIES AS TRUMP AND HALEY FACE OFF YET AGAIN

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell arrives to a news conference after a lunch meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol, in 2023. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Fox News Digital reached out to both the Trump campaign and McConnell’s Senate office but did not immediately receive a response.

McConnell, who turned 82 last month, announced on Wednesday that he would step down as Republican leader and would pursue “life’s next chapter.”

Former President Donald Trump departs after speaking during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland, Feb. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said on the Senate floor. “So I stand before you today… to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”

EXCLUSIVE: NO 2 SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER JOHN THUNE ENDORSES TRUMP IN 2024 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

“I still have enough gas in the tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics, and I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm which they have become accustomed,” McConnell added.

The decision is likely to set up a leadership election for the GOP conference that could determine the future of the Republican Party in the Senate – and how it could deal with Trump should he defeat President Biden in their November rematch.

POWERLESS OVER POWER: AFTER SHIFTS IN GOP LANDSCAPE, MCCONNELL’S LEADERSHIP DRAWS TO A CLOSE

McConnell’s potential endorsement comes after he vehemently criticized Trump and called him “morally responsible” for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.

Following the riot, key Republicans, including McConnell, strongly suggested the party was done with the former president.

In a scathing speech, McConnell said Trump incited the insurrection at the Capitol and blamed him for the “entire manufactured atmosphere of looming catastrophe” and “wild myths” about the election. The Senate leader ultimately did not vote to convict Trump on impeachment charges.

Former President Trump and President Biden (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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Despite their differences, endorsements matter to Trump and the two unifying with their bumpy past could help Republicans unite up-and-down the ballot in a must-win election.

McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader, will formally leave the Senate when his term ends in January 2027.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Colorado Republicans have threatened the state’s top election official with a recall effort after the Supreme Court decided 9-0 that Colorado cannot stop former President Trump from appearing on the 2024 ballot.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., led state party officials in a letter addressed to Secretary of State Jena Griswold Monday that accused her of attempting to “disenfranchise millions of Coloradans” and called the effort to bar Trump from the ballot “a stain on our Republic and an outright embarrassment.” 

“With today’s unanimous decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to keep President Donald J. Trump on the Colorado primary ballot, it is now even more clear Coloradans should have zero faith in you to adequately protect their right to vote and oversee elections in the state of Colorado,” the letter states.

The GOP officials charge that Griswold made “a selfish political decision to rig the primary election” against Trump and declare that “all legal options” are on the table for payback, “including a formal recall effort.” 

COLORADO SEC OF STATE DISAPPOINTED BY TRUMP SCOTUS VICTORY: NOW ‘UP TO AMERICAN VOTERS TO SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY’

Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo, led GOP state party officials in a letter threatening Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold with a “formal recall effort” after the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that Griswold’s attempt to bar former President Trump from the ballot in 2024 was unlawful. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The letter was signed by Boebert, Colorado Republican Party Chairman Dave Wiliams, state party Vice Chair Hope Scheppelman and Secretary Anna Feguson. 

On Monday, Griwsold said she was disappointed when the Supreme Court overturned her decision to bar Trump from the ballot in a unanimous ruling. 

SUPREME COURT RULES UNANIMOUSLY FOR TRUMP IN COLORADO BALLOT DISQUALIFICATION DISPUTE

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold speaks with members of the media outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“My larger reaction is disappointment,” Griswold said on MSNBC. “I do believe that states should be able under our constitution to bar oath-breaking insurrectionists.”

“Ultimately, this decision leaves open the door for Congress to act to pass authorizing legislation, but we know that Congress is a nearly non-functioning body,” she added. “So ultimately, it will be up to the American voters to save our democracy in November.”

TRUMP SAYS SUPREME COURT RULING IN COLORADO CASE IS ‘UNIFYING AND INSPIRATIONAL’

Colorado had argued Trump was disqualified from public office under the 14th Amendment for inciting an “insurrection” at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. However, the nine justices held that Article 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars former officeholders who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office again, can only be enforced by Congress.

“We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency,” the court wrote.

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Trump called the high court’s decision “both unifying and inspirational” in exclusive comments to Fox News Digital. 

“Today’s decision, especially the fact that it was unanimous, 9-0, is both unifying and inspirational for the people of the United States of America,” the 2024 GOP frontrunner said. 

Fox News’ Kendall Tietz, David Rutz, Brianna Herilhy, Anders Hagstrom and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

The race for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District, which was redrawn by a federal court to boost the voting power of Black voters, has sparked congested and competitive primary contests.

Democrats see an opportunity to flip the Deep South congressional seat in November. Republicans aim to keep hold of the seat, as control of the U.S. House of Representatives is on the line. A total of 18 candidates — 11 Democrats and seven Republicans — are running in the new district.

The revamped 2nd Congressional District, which stretches from Mobile through Montgomery to the Georgia border, is being viewed as a once-in-a generation opportunity for Democrats in a state where Republicans dominate.

ALABAMA LAWMAKERS PUSH FOR FAMILIES TO RECEIVE STATE DOLLARS FOR CHILDREN TO ATTEND PRIVATE SCHOOL, TUTORING

The contest is one of two heated congressional primaries in the state on Super Tuesday. In the 1st Congressional District, two Republican congressmen — Rep. Jerry Carl and Rep. Barry Moore — are facing off in a primary showdown that will end with one of them leaving office next year.

A federal court in November drew new congressional lines after ruling Alabama had illegally diluted the voting strength of Black residents. The three-judge panel said Alabama, which is 27% Black, should have a second district where Black voters make up a substantial portion of the voting age population and have a reasonable opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice.

The large number of people competing in the 2nd Congressional District makes it likely that the race will go to an April 16 runoff between the top two finishers. A runoff is required unless a single candidate captures more than 50% of the vote.

Alabama Rep. Juandalynn Givan is seen during a hearing on April 10, 2017, in Montgomery, Alabama. Givan is seeking the Democratic nomination for Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. (Albert Cesare/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP, Pool, File)

Candidates include Shomari Figures, a resident of Mobile and former deputy chief of staff to the U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, as well as high-profile members of the Alabama Legislature: House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels of Huntsville; state Rep. Napoleon Bracy, Jr. of Prichard; state Sen. Merika Coleman of Pleasant Grove; state Rep. Juandalynn Givan of Birmingham and state Rep. Jeremy Gray of Opelika.

Also running are former U.S. Marine James Averhart, education consultant Phyllis Harvey-Hall, retired businessman Willie J. Lenard, businessman Vimal Patel and Larry Darnell Simpson.

The eight Republicans who have qualified to run are: state Sen. Greg Albritton of Atmore; former state Sen. Dick Brewbaker of Pike Road; attorney Caroleene Dobson; business owner Karla M. DuPriest; real estate agent Hampton Harris; Stacey T. Shepperson of Saraland; and Newton City Council member Belinda Thomas.

The shifting district lines have led to an unusual competition in the GOP primary for south Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.

Moore challenged Carl, the incumbent in the 1st Congressional District after being drawn out of the 2nd Congressional District, which he currently represents.

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The two Republicans and their supporters have traded accusations over voting records, late tax payments and loyalty to former President Donald Trump.

Both are in their second terms in Congress after being elected in 2020 to their respective districts. Moore is a former member of the Alabama Legislature. Carl served as president of the Mobile County Commission.

The winner will face Democrat Tom Holmes in November.

Let’s cut through the legal jargon: the Supreme Court yesterday did the only thing it could do, and did it unanimously.

The justices rejected the notion that a Colorado court – all-Democratic appointees – could simply kick Donald Trump off the ballot. Just on the face of it, the idea was ludicrous, absurd and anti-democratic, and the court explicitly banned any other state from trying such a stunt.

On Sunday’s “Media Buzz,” I was griping about the fact that the justices were taking so long, and said they must be honing their opinions and concurring opinions. That turned out to be the case.

In the unsigned opinion, all nine justices declared that “nothing in the Constitution requires that we endure such chaos – arriving at any time or different times, up to and perhaps beyond the inauguration.”

THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF FANI WILLIS’ CASE IS ‘VERY IMPORTANT’: SUSAN FERRECHIO

A supporter of former US President Donald Trump, protests outside the Alto Lee Adams Sr. US Courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida, on August 10, 2023. (EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP via Getty Images)

While legal observers say the court moved at rocket speed, the ruling came on the last day before voters in Colorado head to the polls, along with those in the other Super Tuesday states.

Much of the back and forth had to do with the 14th Amendment, but put that aside for a moment.

When Colorado’s court first made its ruling, a veritable army of anchors, correspondents and legal analysts, especially on MSNBC, cheered the move, saying Trump was finally being held accountable for fomenting the Capitol riot. 

Many of the anti-Trumpers wanted more states to remove the former president from their ballots – as Maine’s Democratic secretary of state did, followed by an Illinois judge late in the game.

LIBERAL PUNDITS, URGING BIDEN TO WITHDRAW, PUSHING CONVENTION SCENARIO

That means they were all taking a hard-line stance that has now been rejected Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson. That should tell us something: Who’s more out of step with the country?

Trump, stepping before the cameras at Mar-a-Lago, calling the ruling a step toward national unity:

“They worked long. They worked hard. And frankly, they worked very quickly on something that will be spoken about a hundred years from now and 200 years from now. Extremely important.”

Trump then pivoted to the other case the Supreme Court just took, his claims of total unity for actions taken while president. The legal pundits say SCOTUS may well rule against him on that one, though no one knows for sure, which would amount to a split decision on the two high-stakes cases.

Trump was soon doing the greatest hits, attacking such prosecutors as Jack Smith, Letitia James and Fani Willis, and slamming the judges hearing several of his cases. 

A New York Times reporter said that Mario Nicolais, attorney for the Colorado side, said the Supremes had “abrogated their responsibility to our democracy….I hope that the cowardice of the court today doesn’t lead to bloodshed tomorrow.” Pretty gracious, huh?

Remember, Kagan, Sotomayor and Jackson found common ground with Sam Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas, but the critics are still carping. 

Members of the Supreme Court (L-R) Associate Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil M. Gorsuch, Sonia Sotomayor, and Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Associate Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Elena Kagan, and Brett M. Kavanaugh. (Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via Getty Images)

Jim Acosta, the anti-Trump CNN anchor, said his antagonist “has sort of played the legal system like a fiddle over the last couple of years. He’s thrown the kitchen sink into the gears of America’s judicial system.”

Maine GOP director Jason Savage told the Times that his goal is replacing Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, the Democrat who ruled in December that Trump was ineligible for the Maine ballot: “One bureaucrat was trying to alter the presidential election based on her opinion.”

What triggered the entire battle was Colorado dusting off an obscure, little-used legal provision passed after the Civil War: Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. It was aimed at former Confederate officials and soldiers who had rebelled against the country.

MEDIA DEEM TRUMP THE NOMINEE, DESPITE HALEY TYING HIM TO PUTIN

Where some of the justices parted company was over the scope of the unsigned opinion, with the court’s three liberal members saying in concurring opinions that the conservative majority went too far in attempting “to insulate the court” and Trump from “future controversy….

“In a sensitive case crying out for judicial restraint, it abandons that course.”

The Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Some of the conflicting views involve whether only Congress has the power to utilize Section 3 and whether the president is considered an officer of the United States.

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Justice Amy Coney Barrett agreed with the liberals, saying the majority should not have raised “the complicated question whether federal legislation is the exclusive vehicle through which Section 3 can be enforced…

“This is not the time to amplify disagreement with stridency … Particularly in this circumstance, writings on the court should turn the national temperature down, not up.”

However you slice and dice it, it was a big win for Donald Trump, and for those who believe the voters, not partisan state officials, should get to pick the president.

Nevada U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen announced Monday at a union hall in Las Vegas that she has officially filed for reelection in a presidential battleground state that is a top GOP target in a challenging 2024 Senate map.

The first-term moderate Democrat launched her campaign for a second term last year, and 10 Republican challengers have crowded the field to oppose her. Rosen has not drawn a top-name Democratic opponent.

Rosen was introduced by leaders of plumbers and pipefitters, firefighters, electrical workers and the powerful local hotel worker unions and told members their backing is going to be key to keeping Democratic control of the Senate “and stopping those MAGA Republicans from arguing every single bill.”

NEVADA’S SECRETARY OF STATE SAYS LAWYERS WHO FILL POLL WORKER GAP SHOULD EARN CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS

She also put the abortion debate at the center of her remarks. Democrats nationally have tried to focus voters on the Supreme Court decision in June 2022 to overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized the right to end a pregnancy.

U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, speaks during a news conference on June 16, 2023, at the East Vegas Library.  (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

“I am never going to back down when it comes to our reproductive rights, which are at risk,” Rosen said.

GOP hopefuls in the Senate race include Sam Brown, a retired Army captain who ran for Senate in 2022 and has backing from party leaders in Washington, D.C.

His campaign manager, Faith Jones, tied Rosen to Biden in a statement critical of unemployment, housing, and food and grocery costs.

Other GOP challengers include Jim Marchant, who lost a run for Nevada secretary of state in 2022 after emerging as an outspoken denier of Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election win over former President Donald Trump.

A Marchant campaign aide did not respond to messages about Rosen’s announcement.

Trump lost Nevada in 2020 by more than 30,000 votes to Biden, despite legal challenges from Republicans and campaign aides who claimed but did not provide evidence of election irregularities.

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Nevada’s other U.S. senator, Catherine Cortez Masto, is a Democrat who was reelected in November 2022.

The Supreme Court issued a stay against the Texas law that expands police officers’ powers to detain migrants, temporarily halting enforcement. 

The order, which was decided on Monday, was signed by Associate Justice Samuel Alito. The stay prevents the Texas law, which is called SB 4, from going into effect until 5 p.m. on Mar. 12, at the earliest.

The move from the Supreme Court came after the Department of Justice (DOJ) asked the court to temporarily block enforcement of the state law. The agency had filed an emergency appeal.

SB 4 gives Texas authorities the ability to arrest anyone they believe has crossed into the U.S. illegally. It was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in December.

SCOTUS RULES UNANIMOUSLY FOR TRUMP IN CO BALLOT DISPUTE

The Supreme Court has issued a stay regarding the Texas law that expands police officers’ powers to detain migrants. (Getty Images)

Last week, Abbott said that he will refuse to “back down in our fight to protect our state” after a federal judge had temporarily blocked the law through a preliminary injunction.

Back in February, over 40 politicians endorsed an amicus brief that supported the law. 

TRUMP CALLS OUT BIDEN AFTER SCOTUS RULING, SAYS ‘FIGHT YOUR FIGHT YOURSELF’

Asylum seekers cross the Rio Grande from Mexico into the United States on September 30, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital that the intention of the law is to “stop the chaos, secure the border, and protect Texans.”

“It is clear to any honest and objective person living in this country that President Biden has willfully disregarded the laws of the land, abdicated his constitutional duty to provide for a common defense, and unilaterally surrendered control of our border to terrorist drug cartels,” Arrington said.

Migrants attempting to cross the North American side of the border between El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico in Texas, United States on March 3, 2024. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The State of Texas has until Mar. 11 to file a response to the DOJ appeal for emergency action.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Abbott for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee, Louis Casiano and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., slammed reports that Democrats are ginning up legislation in reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision Monday to keep former President Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot. 

“We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency,” the Court wrote, adding that “the Constitution makes Congress, rather than the States, responsible for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates.

According to a report published in Axios Monday, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a former member of the Jan. 6 select committee, said he is already crafting federal legislation that would force Trump of the ballot. 

But a spokesperson for Speaker Johnson told Fox News Digital on Monday night that his Democrat colleagues should “get a grip.” 

SUPREME COURT RULES UNANIMOUSLY FOR TRUMP IN COLORADO BALLOT DISQUALIFICATION DISPUTE

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. 

“Democrats need to get a grip. In this country, the American people decide the next president—not the courts and not the Congress,” the spokesperson said. 

According to the Axios report, Raskin referenced legislation he introduced in 2022 with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla. that would allow the Justice Department to sue to keep candidates off the ballot under the 14th Amendment.

“We are going to revise it in light of the Supreme Court’s decision,” Raskin told the outlet. He suggested that the bill would be paired with a resolution declaring Jan. 6 an “insurrection” and that those involved “engaged in insurrection.” 

Trump is facing a number of federal charges related to the 2020 election, but he has not been charged with insurrection.  

LEGAL EXPERTS RALLY AROUND SUPREME COURT RULING KEEPING TRUMP ON BALLOT: ‘STERN WARNING’ TO ‘RADICALS’

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

In the Supreme Court’s ruling Monday, the nine justices unanimously agreed that states don’t have Section 3 enforcement authority. But Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson said that the majority went two far when it said Congress has sole enforcement authority.

“The majority announces that a disqualification for insurrection can occur only when Congress enacts a particular kind of legislation pursuant to Section 5 of the Fourteenth Amendment. In doing so, the majority shuts the door on other potential means of federal enforcement,” The trio said. 

‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOSTS GRUDGINGLY ADMIT SCOTUS COLORADO RULING WAS ‘RIGHT DECISION,’ BUT BLAST ‘PARTISAN’ COURT

The Supreme Court justices.  (Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via Getty Images)

“The Court today needed to resolve only a single question: whether an individual State may keep a Presidential candidate found to have engaged in insurrection off its ballot. The majority resolves much more than the case before us. Although federal enforcement of Section 3 is in no way at issue, the majority announces novel rules for how that enforcement must operate,” the three wrote.

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“It reaches out to decide Section 3 questions not before us, and to foreclose future efforts to disqualify a Presidential candidate under that provision,” the three said. 

Rep. Raskin’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.  

Reactions from legal experts are pouring in after the Supreme Court voted unanimously in favor of former President Trump and against the effort to remove him from the Colorado ballot for allegedly taking part in an “insurrection.”

“The Court showed a divided nation that we remain bound by shared constitutional values,” George Washington Law professor Jonathan Turley said on Fox News immediately after the decision was read, adding that this was a “critical moment for this court in history.”

“After all of the years we have spent in this Republic we came to a point where these states claimed that they could unilaterally bar the leading presidential candidate from ballots to prevent people from voting for Donald Trump,” Turley said. “The court here struck with a strong, and it appears unanimous, voice at least on the result that that’s not going to happen. Voters will vote. They’ll make their own verdict regardless of cases that happen involving President Trump. They will cast the most important verdict of all. They will vote for the next President of the United States.”

“So much for the long list of people who weighed in on this case to declare that Colorado’s position was the only constitutionally acceptable one and suggesting that any idiot could see that,” Judicial Network President Carrie Severino posted on X. 

TRUMP-ALIGNED LAWMAKERS CELEBRATE UNANIMOUS SUPREME COURT BALLOT RULING

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to a crowd during a campaign rally on September 25, 2023 in Summerville, South Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

“Obviously, they were not making legal arguments, but political ones.”

Ilya Shapiro, director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute, told Fox News Digital that the “unanimous Supreme Court got it right.”

“States can’t create a patchwork of ways for disqualifying candidates for federal office,” Shapiro added. “There’s disagreement among the justices about which federal actors can do so, and according to which procedures, so perhaps it would be a good idea for Congress to clarify these issues by enacting a new version of the Enforcement Act of 1870.”

“But regardless, in a polarized time of record-low societal trust in institutions, it’s a good thing that voters will decide whether Donald Trump can return to the White House, not Colorado’s supreme court, Maine’s secretary of state, or any other state or local officials.”

“The Supreme Court justices brought order to what could have become a chaotic election season by shutting down this partisan, anti-democratic, and unconstitutional effort in Colorado,” Heritage Foundation legal fellows Hans von Spakovsky and Charles Stimson wrote in a press release. “They found a ‘combination’ of constitutional grounds that ‘resolves this case,’ and that explains why the Colorado court got it wrong.”

TRUMP SAYS SUPREME COURT RULING IN COLORADO CASE IS ‘UNIFYING AND INSPIRATIONAL’

Former President Trump (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

“Activist courts and partisan bureaucrats should not be able to take away American voters’ right to choose the president. This ruling, which came together with amazing speed for the Supreme Court, should serve as a stern warning that radicals cannot interfere in our election process and, as the justices say in the opinion, ‘nullify the votes of millions and change the election result.’”

All nine justices ruled in favor of Trump in the case, which will impact the status of efforts in several other states to remove the likely GOP nominee from their respective ballots. 

The court considered for the first time the meaning and reach of Article 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars former officeholders who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office again. Challenges have been filed to remove Trump from the 2024 ballot in over 30 states. 

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The U.S. Supreme Court  (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

“We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency,” the Court wrote.

“A great win for America. Very, very important!” Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Monday morning. 

“Equally important for our country will be the decision that they will soon make on immunity for a president — without which, the presidency would be relegated to nothing more than a ceremonial position, which is far from what the founders intended,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “No president would be able to properly and effectively function without complete and total immunity.” 

He added, “Our country would be put at great risk.” 

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report

In the race to lock up the Republican presidential nomination, former President Trump is padding his lead.

Trump, who is the commanding frontrunner for the 2024 GOP nomination as he bids a third straight time for the White House, swept three contests on Saturday. 

While his last remaining rival for the nomination, former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, scored her first primary victory on Sunday, Trump enjoys a 244 to 43 lead in delegates.

Trump is likely to expand his delegate lead on Monday night, when North Dakota holds GOP caucuses on the eve of Super Tuesday. That is when more than 850 delegates are at stake as 15 states hold Republican nominating contests, and the scant public opinion polling in those states indicates Trump is the favorite.

TRUMP SWEEPS SATURDAY’S GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATING CONTESTS

Republican presidential candidate former President Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Saturday, March 2, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

“Over the weekend we won Missouri, Idaho, and Michigan – BIG NUMBERS,” Trump touted on his Truth Social network on Sunday night.

The former president kicked off the weekend by capturing all 39 delegates up for grabs at the Michigan GOP’s party convention, which was held in Grand Rapids. Trump had previously won most of the 16 delegates awarded in Michigan’s statewide primary on Feb. 27.

HALEY BRINGS TRUMP’S PRIMARY WINNING STREAK TO AN END

A few hours later, the former president was victorious in the Missouri caucuses, and he closed out Saturday evening by scoring a win in the Idaho caucuses.

“We’ve been launching like a rocket to the Republican nomination. We just got numbers today that were unbelievable,” Trump touted Saturday night at a rally in Richmond, Virginia — which is one of the Super Tuesday states — as he pointed to his ballot box victories in Michigan, Missouri and Idaho.

Haley, who remains in the GOP nomination race at least through Super Tuesday, despite the extremely long odds she faces, on Sunday enjoyed victory for the first time in the 2024 race, as she topped Trump by roughly 30 points in Washington D.C.’s Republican primary. She captured 19 delegates and made history as the first woman to win a GOP presidential primary or caucus.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks at a rally during the District of Columbia’s Republican presidential primary at the Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Friday, March 1, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Republicans closest to Washington’s dysfunction know that Donald Trump has brought nothing but chaos and division for the past 8 years. It’s time to start winning again and move our nation forward!,” Haley wrote on social media Sunday night.

Haley has no public events or election night gatherings scheduled for Super Tuesday evening and remains mum on any plans going forward.

She reiterated in an interview on Saturday with Fox News’ Bill Melugin that “we’re going to go as long as we’re competitive,” but she did not specifically define what competitive means.

Trump in a video to supporters emphasized the importance of Super Tuesday.

“It’s big stuff, and it’s the single most important primary day of the year,” he said in a video posted to social media. “If every single conservative, Republican, and Trump supporter in these states shows up on Super Tuesday, we will be very close to finished with this primary contest.”

Aiming to completely pivot to the all-but-certain general election rematch with President Biden — who defeated Trump four years ago to win the White House — the former president stressed that big wins on Super Tuesday will allow him “to focus all of our energy, time, and resources, on defeating crooked Joe Biden.”

“We want to send a signal that we’re coming on like a freight train,” he emphasized. “Do not be complacent. Please go and vote.”

While Trump scored a slew of ballot box victories this past weekend, he also made peace with the Club for Growth, a politically influential and fiscally conservative group that is funded by some of the top donors on the right.

TRUMP MAKES PEACE WITH INFLUENTIAL CONSERVATIVE GROUP TO BRING BITTER FEUD TO AN END

The Club for Growth and its president, David McIntosh, have had an up and down relationship with Trump. They opposed him as he ran for the White House in 2016 before embracing him as an ally. In the 2022 cycle, Trump and the Club teamed up in some high-profile GOP primaries but clashed over combustible Senate nomination battles in Alabama, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The bitter feud continued to play out last year in the Republican presidential nomination race, as the Club spent over $7 million on an anti-Trump group that unsuccessfully tried to take down the former president in the early primary states.

Former President Trump, left, shakes hands with Club for Growth president David McIntosh, as Trump speaks at the group’s annual donor retreat, at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, on March 1, 2024. (Club For Growth)

However, McIntosh and Trump reconciled in recent weeks, and Trump spoke Friday evening at the Club’s annual donor retreat, which was once again held at The Breakers, an exclusive beachfront resort in the upper crust seaside community of Palm Beach, Florida.

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“We had an argument about a couple of people that you know well, and that broke us up for about a year,” Trump said at the Club gathering, according to a source in the room at the private event. 

However, Trump emphasized that “now we’re back in love, we’re deeply in love.”

McIntosh told Fox News Digital that “it’s time for Republicans to unite and put our differences aside.”

He added that “President Trump always says, ‘When Trump and the Club for Growth are together, we always win.’ And together we are going to win back the White House and more this November.” 

Fox News’ Remy Numa contributed to this report

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Voters in a new poll who favored President Biden by 10 points in 2020 have shifted their support to former President Donald Trump, who now leads among the same voters by five points.

The poll, which was conducted by the New York Times and Siena College from Feb. 25 to 28, shows Trump with a 48-43 edge over Biden, a slightly larger lead than two-point edge the former president held in the same poll when it was conducted in December.

The lead comes despite many of the registered voters sampled indicating they voted for Biden in 2020, with 44% of respondents saying they voted for the president in the last election, compared to 33% who indicated they voted for Trump.

TRUMP LEADS BIDEN AMONG HISPANICS, REGISTERED VOTERS OVERALL: POLL

Former President Trump and President Biden (AP)

The poll shows that Trump has done better work shoring up his base, with 97% of respondents who indicated they voted for him in 2020 saying they plan to do the same this year. Meanwhile, Biden is only garnering the support of 83% of those who say they voted for him in 2020, while 10% indicated they plan to vote for Trump this time around.

Those numbers weren’t the only bad news for the president in the poll, which also showed Trump as having a six-point lead (46%-40%) among Hispanic voters, a demographic that until recent years had been a dependable bloc for Democrats. 

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Hialeah, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

POLL SHOWS BIDEN’S LEAD OVER TRUMP SHRINKING IN 2024 MATCHUP AS CONCERNS OVER PHYSICAL FITNESS GROW

Biden is also struggling with working-class voters of color, who according to exit polls, voted in large numbers (72%) for the president in 2020, with only 22% of the group supporting Trump. But that gap has shrunk significantly, the poll found, with Biden only holding a 47%-41% advantage among the same group today.

President Biden speaks to the National Governors Association during an event in the East Room of the White House on Friday, Feb. 23. (AP/Evan Vucci)

The president also faces an enthusiasm gap compared to Trump, with only 23% saying they would be enthusiastic if Biden were to become the Democratic nominee. Meanwhile, 48% of respondents indicated they would feel enthusiastic about Trump securing the Republican nomination.

But the news wasn’t all bad for the president, who polled better with critical independent voters, who currently are split 42%-42% on who they would support between Biden and Trump. Voters also showed concerns about the criminal cases playing out around Trump, with 53% indicating they believe the former president committed serious federal crimes.

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The New York Times/Siena College poll sampled 980 registered voters nationwide, with a margin of sampling error at plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., penned a letter to President Joe Biden on Monday, calling on him to acknowledge the death of Georgia college student Laken Riley during his State of the Union address Thursday night. 

Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University, was killed last month and the suspect charged in relation to her death is Jose Ibarra, who was found to have illegally immigrated into the U.S. in 2022. 

“At just six years old, Laken knew she wanted to be a nurse so she could help people. She was living her dream until it was shattered by Joe Biden’s wide open border,” Banks told Fox News Digital in a statement. “This was a totally avoidable tragedy. President Biden owes it to her family and the American people to say her name.”

Laken Riley poses for a photo posted to Facebook. Riley, a nursing student, was found dead near a lake on the University of Georgia campus on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. (Laken Riley/Facebook)

Banks implored Biden in the letter to “publicly acknowledge the Riley family’s tragedy” by speaking about their daughter Laken’s death during the annual address to Congress. 

GOP CONGRESSMAN INTRODUCES ‘LAKEN RILEY ACT’ TO REQUIRE ICE TO DETAIN MIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR THEFT

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

“As Commander-in-Chief, it is your duty to protect American citizens, and this tragedy highlights the urgent need to address the surge in crime resulting from your negligence at our southern border,” Banks wrote. 

The Indiana Republican, currently running for the Senate seat being vacated in 2025 by Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., further listed what he considered Biden’s failures on the issues of the southern border and immigration. Banks noted Biden’s reversals of Trump-era policies such as “Remain in Mexico,” Title 42, and the building of a border wall. 

“Your failure to publicly acknowledge this tragedy is unacceptable,” Banks added. 

Last week, the White House provided a statement to Fox News Digital regarding Riley’s death. “We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Laken Hope Riley,” a spokesperson said. “People should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law if they are found to be guilty. Given this is an active case, we would have to refer you to state law enforcement and ICE.”

Rep. Jim Banks questions witnesses during a House hearing on Feb. 28, 2023, in Washington, D.C. ( Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Biden, himself, has not addressed the death of Riley, despite being asked during a press conference if he bears any responsibility for it following a speech last week. 

MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT SOUTHERN BORDER SURPASS 21,000 IN 72 HOURS, CBP SOURCES SAY

“You have a great opportunity to respect the wishes of Laken Riley’s mother by breaking your silence and saying her name at the upcoming State of the Union address on Thursday, March 7, 2024,” Banks told Biden in the letter. 

Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, recently changed her Facebook profile picture to a heart in UGA’s colors of Red and Black, with the hashtag “#SayHerName.”

In addition to asking Biden to acknowledge Riley at his SOTU address, Banks also called on the president to “take swift and decisive action to secure the border. You can prevent further tragedies and ensure a safer future for all Americans.”

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling Monday is “both unifying and inspirational,” while stressing the importance of the high court’s pending decision in the issue of presidential immunity. 

The Supreme Court sided unanimously with the 2024 GOP frontrunner in his challenge to Colorado’s attempt to kick him off the 2024 primary ballot. 

The high court ruled in favor of Trump’s arguments in the case, which will impact the status of efforts in several other states to remove the likely GOP nominee from their respective ballots. 

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR TRUMP BALLOT REMOVAL CASE OUT OF COLORADO

The court considered for the first time the meaning and reach of Article 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars former officeholders who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office again. Challenges have been filed to remove Trump from the 2024 ballot in over 30 states.

Former President Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling Monday is “both unifying and inspirational.” (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

“A great win for America. Very, very important!” Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Monday morning. 

“Equally important for our country will be the decision that they will soon make on immunity for a president — without which, the presidency would be relegated to nothing more than a ceremonial position, which is far from what the founders intended,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “No president would be able to properly and effectively function without complete and total immunity.” 

He added, “Our country would be put at great risk.” 

The Supreme Court sided unanimously with former President Trump in his challenge to Colorado’s attempt to kick him off the 2024 primary ballot. (Ellen Schmidt/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

SUPREME COURT DECISION ON CASE BARRING TRUMP FROM COLORADO’S 2024 BALLOT COULD ARRIVE AS EARLY AS MONDAY

The Supreme Court last week agreed to review whether Trump has immunity from prosecution in special counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case. 

The justices moved to fast-track the appeal, and will hear oral arguments beginning April 22, with a ruling on the merits expected by late June. 

Trump’s trial stemming from Smith’s investigation has been put on hold pending resolution of the matter. 

The decision will also impact Smith’s classified records case against the president. That trial has not yet been scheduled. 

As for Monday’s decision, Trump described it as a “big win for America.” 

“Today’s decision, especially the fact that it was unanimous, 9-0, is both unifying and inspirational for the people of the United States of America,” he told Fox News Digital. 

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In its unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court concluded that “states may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office.” 

“But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency,” the Supreme Court wrote.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, in a concurring opinion wrote, “The Court has settled a politically charged issue in the volatile season of a Presidential election.”

“Particularly in this circumstance, writings on the Court should turn the national temperature down, not up. For present purposes, our differences are far less important than our unanimity: All nine Justices agree on the outcome of this case. That is the message Americans should take home,” she said.

Former President Trump spoke from Mar-a-Lago just hours after the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in his favor, keeping him on the 2024 primary ballot in Colorado, thanking the high court for its unifying decision and looking ahead to its pending ruling on his presidential immunity appeal. 

The 2024 GOP frontrunner also blamed President Biden for his legal challenges, and claimed he is using judges and prosecutors to influence the election.

The Supreme Court sided unanimously with the 2024 GOP frontrunner in his challenge to Colorado’s attempt to kick him off the 2024 primary ballot. 

The high court ruled in favor of Trump’s arguments in the case, which will impact the status of efforts in several other states to remove the likely GOP nominee from their respective ballots. 

“I want to start by thanking the Supreme Court for its unanimous decision today. It was a very important decision, were very well crafted, and I think it will go a long way toward bringing our country together, which our country needs,” Trump said from Mar-a-Lago. “And they worked long, they worked hard, and frankly, they worked very quickly on something that will be spoken about 100 years from now and 200 years from now. Extremely important.” 

Trump said, “essentially, you cannot take somebody out of a race because an opponent would like to have it that way. And it has nothing to do with the fact that it’s the leading candidate, whether it was the leading candidate or a candidate that was well down on the totem pole. You cannot take somebody out of a race.” 

“The voters can take the person out of the race very quickly. But a court shouldn’t be doing that. And the Supreme Court saw that very well,” Trump said. “And I really do believe that will be a unifying factor because while most states were thrilled to have me know, there were some that didn’t and they didn’t want that for political reasons.” 

Trump touted his poll numbers, saying he is “beating President Biden in almost every poll.” 

Trump went on to reflect on the legal challenges he is fighting during an election year, saying he is “being prosecuted by Biden,” saying every case is “in total coordination with the White House.” 

The 2024 GOP frontrunner issued a message to Biden. 

“I will say that President Biden, number one, stop weaponization. Fight your fight yourself. Don’t use prosecutors and judges to go after your opponent to try and damage your opponent so you can win an election,” he said. “Our country is much bigger than that. The other thing I say to President Biden, close the borders now. This is not sustainable for our country. It’s not sustainable for our cities. Our country is under siege.”