Senate

Sen. Tillis to introduce legislation barring federal funds from states ‘misusing’ 14th Amendment

by Tara Suter - 12/19/23 8:36 PM ET

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is set to introduce a bill barring federal funds for election administration from states “misusing” the 14th Amendment.

“Regardless of whether you support or oppose former President Donald Trump, it is outrageous to see left-wing activists make a mockery of our political system by scheming with partisan state officials and pressuring judges to remove him from the ballot,” Tillis said in a press release announcing the bill’s upcoming introduction Tuesday.

“American voters, not partisan activists, should decide who we elect as our President. The Constitutional Election Integrity Act would put any constitutional challenges in the sole place they belong: the U.S. Supreme Court,” Tillis continued.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) addresses reporters during a press conference on Thursday, December 7, 2023 to discuss security of the US-Mexico border. (Mattie Neretin)

The bill aims to amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002, adding language to the law stating that the Supreme Court has “sole jurisdiction to decide claims arising out of section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.”

Tillis’s bill comes on the same day former President Trump was kicked off Colorado’s Republican primary ballot under section three of the 14th Amendment via a ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court.

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“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the upper court wrote in its decision. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”

Tillis’s fellow GOP lawmakers heavily criticized the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision in its wake.

“Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen registered to vote should not be denied the right to support our former president and the individual who is the leader in every poll of the Republican primary,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote in a statement, adding he trusts the U.S. Supreme Court will “set aside this reckless decision and let the American people decide the next president of the United States.”