One of the most important responsibilities of local journalism is to defend freedom, and while often we focus the editorial page to matters of the community, on occasion a national topic reaches to the heart and soul of who we are, who we should be.
The United States Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump cannot be removed from the ballot by individual states. The ruling was unanimous on a 9-0 decision.
A 9-0 decision comprised of liberal and conservative judges. A 9-0 decision based on an un-convicted individual. A 9-0 decision based on the law.
Why should that silence both sides?
Because if both parties believe in the United States Constitution and the Amendments, then they should remain in support of the process of freedom we so highly covet. More importantly, if that process could be manipulated to serve either liberal or conservative agendas, it could be manipulated to serve any agenda. Agreed?
Certain states, predominantly Democrat voting states, pushed to make former President Donald Trump ineligible as a candidate and disqualified him from the state ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. That part of the Amendment disqualifies people from holding office, civil or military, if they have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion.”
What some state courts who passed down decisions allowing the former President to be removed from their state’s ballot failed to understand was the law. The fundamental principle in any legal action starts with the concept that one is innocent until proven guilty.
Just as important, those wanting the former President removed claiming he had engaged in insurrection on January 6, 2021, missed another crucial element… a conviction.
Both state and federal courts require confirmation of accusations before they rule to punish someone for the crime. It seems that would be the first question asked when determining his removal. Did he do it?
Sadly, several state courts arrived at their decisions based on assumptions. But America runs on law, not accusations. It is irrelevant whether you believe that Trump is guilty of insurrection or not. It matters that we uphold the rule of law.
So, both Democrats and Republicans alike should agree that our highest court in the land upheld the constitution. Both parties should agree that by doing so, it will be up to the American voters to decide Trump’s fate, and therefore, in the voters’ hands to determine our fate as a country.
Believe in what you want. Support who you want. But always defend an impartial rule of law. Without that we have only chaos and a façade of democracy.
It seems that both liberals and conservatives alike are so adamant about their beliefs that they overlook the obvious. We the people have a right to our own beliefs. In this case the rule of law was protected and the final decision in our democratic republic will belong to the people of the United States.
From Hammonton to the High Court, the people, We the People, should have the final say. And isn’t that something we all can agree on?