Donald Trump recently received a significant legal win when a judge appointed by former President Barack Obama ruled in favor of Trump’s potential 2024 campaign.
Judge Robin Rosenberg, nominated by Obama in 2014, quickly rejected a lawsuit aimed at Trump’s candidacy just days after its initiation.
The lawsuit, initiated by tax lawyer Lawrence Caplan from Boynton Beach and two other individuals, contended that due to Trump’s alleged involvement in the events of January 6, 2021, at the Capitol, his name shouldn’t be on Florida’s presidential primary ballot for the upcoming year. However, Rosenberg stated on Friday that the plaintiffs didn’t have the necessary standing for a challenge based on the 14th Amendment of the Constitution.
Over the past years, Trump has criticized several of Obama’s judicial appointees, especially U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, overseeing Trump’s federal election interference case. After announcing the trial’s date, Trump expressed his displeasure about Judge Chutkan on Truth Social.
In Caplan’s legal action, he referenced the 14th Amendment’s disqualification clause, which implies that those participating in insurrection against the government are ineligible for office. Drawing on the Capitol incident, Caplan’s filing mentioned that Trump was complicit in the insurrection as outlined in the 14th Amendment.
Yet, Judge Rosenberg indicated that the lawsuit did not have adequate standing and the claimed injuries weren’t specific to the plaintiffs. Rosenberg stated that individual citizens cannot challenge the qualifications of another citizen to hold office.
Caplan, speaking to Newsweek, said he’s not pursuing an appeal against Rosenberg’s decision but might initiate a similar case in the D.C. District Court, where he feels the standing concern wouldn’t arise.
Although the lawsuit in Florida was swiftly rejected, officials in New Hampshire and Michigan are considering any potential conflict between Trump’s campaign and the 14th Amendment.
Notably, an article in The Atlantic written by former Appeals Court Judge J. Michael Luttig and legal scholar Laurence Tribe discussed how Trump’s behavior post the 2020 elections could be at odds with the 14th Amendment’s disqualification clause. This article motivated Caplan to sue Trump’s campaign. He remarked, “The law remains consistent, and it remains to be seen if judges will adhere to it.”
