Letters to the Editor: The Supreme Court nullified part of the Constitution to help Trump

To the editor: I could not disagree more with your editorial’s argument that the U.S. Supreme Court was right to keep former President Trump on the ballot.

One of the first things one learns in law school is that if the meaning of a law is clear on its face, then that is what you go with. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits those who have violated their oath to the Constitution from holding office, could not be clearer, especially when seen in its historical context.

Yet the cafeteria constitutionalists on the U.S. Supreme Court took the appeal of the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision and abrogated that clear meaning. The justices took it upon themselves to actually nullify the clear language of a provision of the Constitution.

Forget the constitutionally required amendment process — they don’t care. They are the Supremes, assiduously working their way toward a zero approval rating, as they bring democracy down with them.

What an embarrassing and heartbreaking time to be an American.

Sara R. Nichols, Los Angeles

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To the editor: The Times’ editorial board lauds the Supreme Court’s decision to keep the former president on the Colorado ballot, saying that the decision’s “chief consequence is to bolster democracy.”

The editorial also reminds us he almost destroyed democracy with the events of Jan. 6, 2021.

The Times misses the point of this “once-obscure” section of the 14th Amendment. The way to bolster democracy is to not allow those who have demonstrated disregard for it to hold public office.

Bill Seibel, Glendora