Nevada Judge Rejects Effort to Remove Trump from Ballot

A federal judge in Nevada dismissed a case challenging former President Trump's eligibility for the 2024 election, ruling that GOP challenger John Anthony Castro, who initiated the lawsuit in the state, lacked standing.

U.S. District Court Judge Gloria M. Navarro, appointed by former President Obama, issued the order on Monday, rejecting Castro's lawsuit that questioned whether the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution barred Trump from holding office due to his alleged involvement in inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Nevada judge rejects 14th Amendment challenge to remove Trump from ballot https://t.co/TCkkULRWDK https://t.co/TCkkULRWDK

— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 10, 2024

Navarro acknowledged the politically charged nature of the question but emphasized that Castro lacked standing, preventing the court from hearing the case.

She explained the requirement for standing in federal court, stating that a plaintiff must have suffered a concrete, particularized, and actual or imminent injury caused by the defendant's conduct.

The ruling highlighted that five courts had already rejected Castro's political competitor standing argument, indicating that he had manufactured standing to challenge Trump's eligibility.

Navarro noted Castro's admission that he declared as a candidate and paid the filing fee to demonstrate the impermissibility of Trump's presidency.

The judge cited Castro's statement in an Associated Press article, where he asserted, "I'm not going to lie and pretend my candidacy is anything more than trying to enforce the United States Constitution."

A footnote in the ruling clarified that Trump and Castro were not competing on the same ballot in Nevada, as Trump was participating in the caucus ballot while Castro intended to run in the state-run Presidential Preference Primary.

Numerous lawsuits challenging Trump's eligibility under the Fourteenth Amendment have emerged, following his removal from the Colorado ballot by the state's Supreme Court.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review Trump's challenge to the Colorado ruling, with arguments scheduled for February.

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung praised the dismissal of the Nevada lawsuit in a statement to news outlets, marking another win as the former president continues his comeback bid for the White House.