Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has submitted a friend-of-the-court brief, urging the US Supreme Court to overturn the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling that prohibited former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state's ballot. Ramaswamy strongly disagrees with the Colorado court's interpretation of the Constitution's insurrectionist ban as applying to the presidency.

In his brief, filed on Thursday, Ramaswamy emphasized the potential consequences of leaving the Colorado ruling intact. He argued that such a decision would go far beyond the issue of Trump's eligibility and could pave the way for voters and decision-makers in other states to seek ways to remove candidates from the ballot for personal and professional gain.

The GOP candidate warned that by allowing this precedent to stand, secretaries of state and state supreme court justices could enhance their credibility among co-partisans merely by concocting reasons to declare candidates ineligible for office. Ramaswamy also highlighted that voters would be motivated to search for martial rhetoric or unintended policy consequences in the records of disfavored candidates and file challenges under Section 3 of the Constitution, leading to an increase in complaints and potentially conflicting outcomes.

Ramaswamy had previously pledged to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary if Trump's name was not allowed on the ballot following the state court's decision. However, the Colorado ruling has been temporarily suspended pending the US Supreme Court's resolution of the case. Last week, the state's top election official certified the 2024 presidential primary ballots with Trump's name on the Republican ballot.

The US Supreme Court is currently reviewing whether to overturn the state court's ruling and is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case on February 8. This pivotal case will determine the extent to which the Constitution's insurrectionist ban applies to presidential eligibility and could have broader implications for future elections.