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Legal issues involving former President Donald Trump dominated the news last week. And our crack politics team was all over them, with timely articles that provided readers with context, perspective and analysis from experienced political and legal scholars. It was hardly a surprise that two of the stories readers gravitated to most last week were about the two separate court cases that made big headlines – one with negative implications for Trump, the other potentially more favorable.

The first was a unanimous ruling by a federal appeals court panel that Trump is not immune from prosecution for crimes committed while president. Claire Wofford, a political scientist at the College of Charleston, explained the implications of the ruling, both for the current cases against Trump and all presidents, past, present and future. The case is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court, which may choose to intervene or let the appeals court ruling stand.

The high court was where the week’s other big Trump news took place. The justices heard oral arguments over the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove Trump from the ballot in the state because it determined Trump engaged in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court hearing, political scientists Jessica A. Schoenherr of the University of South Carolina and Jonathan M. King of West Virginia University wrote about what was at stake for the court, notably its legitimacy as a nonpartisan body.

And following the hearing, senior politics editor Naomi Schalit interviewed Notre Dame election law scholar Derek T. Muller to learn what he gleaned from the justices’ questions. In the interview, which was one of last week’s editor picks, Muller explained why he felt the justices were skeptical that a single state should decide for the whole nation whether Trump is eligible to be president.

Bryan Keogh

Managing Editor

Readers' picks

The U.S. Supreme Court. Larry Crain/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Supreme Court heads into uncharted, dangerous territory as it considers Trump insurrection case

Jessica A. Schoenherr, University of South Carolina; Jonathan M. King, West Virginia University

With their upcoming decision concerning whether Donald Trump can appear on the Colorado ballot, Supreme Court justices face the possibility that the ruling could be ignored or defied by the public.

Editors' picks

Police place a fence at the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 8, 2024, before justices heard arguments over whether Donald Trump is ineligible for the 2024 ballot. AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana

Supreme Court skeptical that Colorado − or any state − should decide for whole nation whether Trump is eligible for presidency

Derek T. Muller, University of Notre Dame

Partisan differences at the Supreme Court seemed to be set aside as conservative and liberal justices alike asserted concerns about giving states too much power over national elections.

News Quiz 🧠

  • The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz

    Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation

    Test your knowledge with a weekly quiz drawn from some of our favorite stories. This week, questions on 🧧, 🎬 and 🎶🔵🎂

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