Donald Trump has asked the US Supreme Court to reverse an unprecedented Colorado ruling that barred him from running for president in that state.
Colorado’s top court said last month Mr Trump was not an eligible primary candidate because he had engaged in insurrection over the US Capitol riot.
His appeal comes a day after he challenged a similar decision in Maine.
Dozens of lawsuits have been filed in multiple states seeking to disqualify Mr Trump from the November 2024 ballot.
Courts in Minnesota and Michigan have dismissed attempts to disqualify the former US president and Republican front-runner, while other cases. including in Oregon, are still pending.
Mr Trump’s appeal to the nation’s highest court over the Colorado decision means that the nine Supreme Court justices could end up making a hugely consequential judgment on his eligibility to run for federal office.
The Republican primaries in Colorado and Maine are scheduled for 5 March – so-called Super Tuesday, when many states hold their votes to choose party contenders. But postal ballots need to be sent out weeks beforehand, meaning the Supreme Court is under growing pressure to act.
A US Supreme Court ruling on the issue of Mr Trump’s eligibility, based on whether a Civil War constitutional amendment disqualifies him, would be binding nationwide.
The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution bans anyone who has “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” from holding federal office, but the former president’s lawyers argue that the 14th amendment does not apply to the president.
In a statement, the Trump campaign accused the Colorado Supreme Court and President Joe Biden, a Democrat, of “doing all they can to disenfranchise all American voters by attempting to remove President Trump”.
“We urge a clear, summary rejection of the Colorado Supreme Court’s wrongful ruling and the execution of a free and fair election in November.”
The Colorado Supreme Court decision was narrow, with four judges in favour and three against. All seven justices were appointed by Democratic governors.
Mr Trump’s appeal to the Supreme Court was widely expected. The decisions to strike him from the ballot in Colorado and Maine are on hold until the legal challenges can be resolved.
