California Keeps Trump On Presidential Ballot After 2 US States Bar Him

California Secretary of State has retained former US President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential ballot amid calls to remove him.

Dr Shirley Weber said that she was guided by the "rule of law" and that only courts can decide if the candidates should be disqualified or not.

Earlier today, US state of Maine barred Donald Trump from the presidential primary for his alleged role in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol - a move that comes days after a similar ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court.

The rulings in both states invoked the US Constitution's 14th Amendment, which bars from office anyone formerly sworn to protect the country who later engages in insurrection. 

California joins Michigan - which on Wednesday - also declined to hear a case seeking to disqualify him from the state's presidential primary ballot.

Unlike in Colorado, the Michigan Supreme Court did not decide the merits of whether Trump engaged in insurrection.

Activists in several US states have asked election officials to remove the former president from their states' primary ballots.

A lawyer for Trump argued that the riot at the Capitol was not serious enough to qualify as an insurrection and that Trump's remarks to his supporters in Washington that day were protected by his right to free speech. The lawyer contended that courts do not have the authority to order Trump removed from the ballot.

A ruling by the US Supreme Court could resolve the issue of Trump's eligibility nationwide to run in the 2024 presidential race