Learn bits
Polity & Governance
Mahesh

21/12/23 07:19 AM IST

14th Amendment of the US Constitution

In News
  • The top court in the US state of Colorado ordered former US President Donald Trump to be taken off the ballot in the state for the Presidential elections next year.
14th Amendment of the US constitution
  • According to the US government archives, the Amendment was passed and ratified by the US Congress between 1866 and 1868.
  • It was brought in after the Civil War ended (1861-65) and “extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people”.
  • Section 3 says ays that if any person previously elected to any government office took part in an insurrection or rebellion, they cannot hold office again.
  • The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments were introduced after the Civil War ended.
  • The war was fought between the Northern and Southern states over the issue of slavery.
  • The History Channel states that as American states sought to expand westward, a growing divide between the two sides came to the fore.
  • The North wanted slavery to be abolished, while the South wanted to retain it.
  • The Southern states’ economies were also comparatively more dependent on agriculture, where most of the workers were African-American slaves.
Background
  • Following the election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the support that he enjoyed from the Northern states, it took only a few months for seven southern states — South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas — to secede from the United States.
  • The war then began between the Unionists (The North) and the Confederacy (The South).
  • The war ended with the victory of the Unionists and the led to subsequent abolishment of slavery.
  • The three amendments were gradually brought in to accord rights to the former slaves.
  • Under the 14th Amendment, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States” were granted citizenship, including the formerly enslaved people.
Implications
  • Section 3 has “rarely been tested” in court. This marks the first time that it has been mentioned in relation to a former President.
  • The Supreme Court has a majority of conservative judges.
  • In the US, Presidents appoint judges for a lifetime tenure and the appointments are largely based on party lines.
  • The report added that even if the court agrees with the Colorado judgment, it would simply mean Trump cannot be voted for in that state in 2024.
  • Traditionally, Colorado has seen the Democratic party’s candidate win the state’s electors, so the new ruling is not seen as particularly harmful to Trump’s electoral prospects.
Source- Indian Express

More Related Current Affairs View All

05 May

Key objectives of caste count

'The Union Cabinet has decided that the next Census will include questions on caste to its enumeration of India’s population, for the first time in almost a century. ' T

Read More

05 May

2 new genome-edited rice varieties

'Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently released two genome-edited varieties of rice, the first achievement of its kind in the country.' These two varieties, which

Read More

05 Mar

First-ever comprehensive survey of India’s river dolphins

'Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the results of the first-ever comprehensive population estimation of riverine dolphins – Gangetic and Indus dolphins – done in In

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps