Case 9:23-cv-80015-AMC Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/06/2023 Page 1 of 18

IN THE UN ITED STATES DISTRJCT COURT

FOR THE SOU THERN DISTRICT OF FLO RID A
W EST PM M BEA CH DIV ISION

CaseN o.

JOHN ANTHONY CASTRO )

12ParkPlace,Mansfield,TX 76063
202 ) FILED BY n u DC .
.
-
594-4344 )
Plaintiff, )
) JAh 26 2223
'
v. ) Asoso s NonuE.
'.
. D ON A LD J. ) s
CLUFI)
o.
.
KEzuIc:1sA.o-lséjm
- :.
TRUM P )
1100S.OceanBlvd,Palm Beach,FL 33480 )
Defendant. )

V ER IFIED C O M PL AIN T FO R DE CL AR ATO R Y A N D IN JUN C TIV E R ELIEF

TO THE H ONORABLE COURT:

Plaintiff, JOHN ANTHONY CASTRO, appearing pr0 J:, tiles this Com plaint against

DonaldJ.Trump (&1Mr.Trump''land allegesasfollows:

EXECUTIVE SUM MARY

1. The fram ersofSection 3 ofthe 14th A m endm entintended the constitutionalprovision

to be both self-executing and to proveide a cause ofaction. M ore specifcally,the U nion sought
'

to punish the insurrqctionary Confederacy by making their ability to hold public office
tmconstitutipnal.Thef'ram ersdidthiswith thespecificintentofremovingthem orepolitically
'
popularinsurrectionistsfrom theballotsincethey violatedtheiroathsofallegianceto theU.S.

Constitution and the use ofpeacefulpoliticalm echanism s to non-violently resolve disputes.

Based upon thisnovelintep retation of Section 3 ofthe 14th Am endm ent,Plaintiffbringsthis

cause ofaction againstDefendantDonald J.Trump to havethe federaljudiciary make a

declaration regarding everyone's legal rights and status, including, but not lim ited to a

ORIGINAL COMPIAINT - CASTRO &.TRUMP

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'
;
Case 9:23-cv-80015-AMC Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/06/2023 Page 2 of 18

declaration regarding the constim tionality of Donald.J.Trump's presidentialcandidacy,to

enjoinanyfurtherfundraisingorcnmpaigning,andtoenstlrethepreventionofhisinauguration
in theeventtheRepublican Party isunabletopreventhisnomination and subsequentelection.

LEGAL N ATURE oy THE ACTION

2. This is a cause ofaction arising from Section 3 ofthe 14th Am endm entto the

United StatesConstitution.

PlaintiffseeksdeclaratoryrelieftohaveDonaldJ.Trumpjudiciallyrecognized
asineligible to hold public office forhaving given aid orcom fortto the insurrectioniststhat

attacked ourU nited States Capitolon January 6,2021.

4. Plaintiff further seeks injunctive relief,if possible,to enjoin any further

fundraising orcam paigning by D onald J.Trum p.

JURISDICTION & V ENUE

'
TllisCourthassubjectmatterjurisdictionoverthisactionptlrsuantto28U.S.C.
j1331,andvenueisproperintllisdistrictpursuantto28U.S.C.j1391(b)(1).
PARTIES

6. Plaintiff John Anthony Castro is a U.S. citizen and Republican primary

presidentialcandidate (Candidate FEC ID NumberP40007320) forthe 2024 Presidential

Election.

D efendant D onald John Trum p is a U .S. citizen and Republican prim ary

presidentialcandidate (Candidate FEC ID NumberP80001571) forthe 2024 Presidential

Election.

PLAINTIFF'SSTANDING TO BRING SUIT

't'o éstablish standing,aplaintiffmustshow thatithassuffered an Gtinjttry in

ORIGINAL COMPLM NT - CASTRO &.TRUMP

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factcaused by the challenged conductand redressable tllrough reliefsoughtf'

rom thecourt.''l

The U .S.Court of A ppeals for the D .C .Circuit has explained thatpolitical

com petitor standing isakin to econo'm ic com petitorstanding,w hereby a plaintiffhas standing

to challenge a governm entaction thatbenetitsa plaintiffscompetitorto the detrimentofthe

plaintiff.z Politicalcompetitorstanding, how ever,isonly availableto plaintiffswho can show

thattheytGpersonallycompetelqinthesamearenawiththesamepartytowhom thegovernment
has bestow ed the assertedly illegalbenefit.''3 The D .C.Circuithasalso held thatifa plaintiff

can show heisatldirectand currentcom petitor,''then competitorstandingm ustberecognized

as a m atterofestablished case 1aw .4 Courtshave recognized thata tûcandidate- asopposed to

individualvotersandpoliticalaction groups- wouldtheoretically have standing based upon a

tcompetitiveinjury'''ifhecouldshow thatlûhepersonallycompetesinthesamearenawiththe
sam e party.,s5

Jolm Anthony Castro registered as a candidate with the Federal Election

Com m ission and is directly and currently com peting against D onald J. Trum p for the

Republican nom ination forthe Presidency ofthe U nited States. A s such,Plaintiffm eetsa11of

thecriteria forstanding.

A feliow primary candidate,whoseinjurywould becompetitiveinjuryin the

lShaysv.FEC,414F.3d76,83(D.C.Cir.2005)(citationomitted).
2SeeShayse v.FEC,4l4F.3d76,87(D.C.Cir.2005).
3Gottlieb v FEC,143F.
. 3d618,621(D.C.Cir.1998)(internalquotationmarksomitted);seealsoFulaniv.
Brad)f,935F.2d 1324,1327-28(D.C.Cir.1991)(holdingthatpresidentialcandidatedidnothaveitcompetitor
standlng''tochallengeCPD'Stax-exemptstatuswherethecandidatewasnoteligiblefortax-exemptstams);
Hassanv.FEC,893F.Supp.2d248,255(D.D.C.2012),afnd,No.12-5335,2013WL 1164506(D.C.Cir.
Mar.11,2013)Cplaintiffcannotshow thathepersonallycompetesinthesamearenawithcandidateswho
receivefundingundertheFundA ctbecausehehasnotshown thathe isorim m inently willbeeligibleforthat
funding.n).
4New W orldRadio,Inc.v.FCC, 294F.
3d 164,170(D.C.Cir.2002)
5H assan v. FEC,893F.Supp.2d248,255n.6(D.D.C.2012)(emphasesadded)(quotingGottlieb,143F.3dat
621)
ORIGINAL COU LAINT - CASTRO &.TRUMP
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form of a diminution ofvotes and/or fundraising,has federaljudicialstanding to sue a

candidatehe orshebelievesisineligibletohold office.6

12. Plaintiff will suffer a concrete competitive injury if the constitutionally

ineligible Donald J.Trump campaign comm ittee is permitted to raise funds,which puts

Plaintiffatafundraising disadvantage.? lfthe federaljudiciary permitsDonald J.Trump's

cam paigning,M r.Trum p w illbe the Republican Party'spresum ptivenom inee and com pletely

dominate atfundraising. Thiswillsiphon offtensifnothundredsofm illionsofdollarsto a

constitm ionally ineligible candidate in violation ofSection 3 ofthe 14th Am endm entto the

U.S.Constitution.Thereisnoquestionthispoliticalcompetitorinjuryistraceabletotheactual
com petitor,Donald J.Trum p.

Plaintiffunderstandsthatthe competitorstanding doctrine recognizesttparties

sufferconstitutionalinjury infactwhen agencies...otherwiseallow increased competition.''8

Inthiscase,the seemingly mosta'
ppropriatetim eto bring suitwould bewhen PlaintiffCastro

and Defendant'trump both file paperwork in New Ham pshire,Pennsylvania,Georgia,and

Arizonato appearon theballotasPresidentialcandidates,butthiscauseofaction isprimarily

fordeclaratoryrelieftoresolvetheissueofconstitutionaleligibility priorto said action forthe

sakeofjudieialeffciencywhenthetimearisestopreventtheissuefrom transfonningintoa
non-justiciablepoliticalquestion giventherapidtimefrnmeoftheprimary electionseason.In
accordance w ith the D .C . Circuit's ruling in M endoza v. Pcrcz, Plaintiff w ill suffer a

constitmionalinjuryinfactsuo cienttoconferArticle111standing.g

6SeeFulaniv. Lct
zgl/c,882F.2d62l(2dCir.1989).
7SeeMcconnellv. FEC,540U .S.93,107,overruledon othergroundsby Citizens Unitedv. FEC,558U .S.
310(2010).
8SeeM endozav. Perez,754F.
3d 1002,1011(D.C.Cir.2014)(citingtoLa.A'
nergpandpowerAuth.v.FERC,
141F.3d364,367(D.C.Cir.1998)'
,Sherleyv.Sebelius,610F.3d69,72-73(D.C.Cir.2010:.
9M endoza v. Perez,754F.3d 1002(D.C.Ci
r.2014)
ORIGINAL COW IAINT - CASTRO &.TRUMP
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14. W hen Section 3 of the 14th Am endm ent was adopted, it was specifically

designed to ensure thatnon-insurrectionistsdid nothave to politically com pete with the m ore

popular pro-insurrectionistpoliticians in the South. It w as specifically designed to rem ove

ovem helm ing popularpro-insurrectionistsfrom the ballot. Assuch,Plaintiffis notsimply

w ithin the zone of interests; Plaintiff is the precise type of person Section 3 of the 14th

A m endm entsoughtto protect.

15. Although theU .S.Suprem eCourtarguably abolishedthedocttineofprudential

standinginfexmark,'oPlaintiffsatisfiesprudentialstandinginthathisinjuryisparticularized
and concrete,he satisfies Article 1I1 standing,and he isw ithin the zone of interests soughtto

beprotected by Section 3 ofthe 14th Amendm enttotheU .S.Constitution.l1

16. A llow ing D onald J.Trtlm p to continuebeing perceived asan eligible candidate

in violation of Section 3 of the 14th Am endm ent of the U rlited States C onstitution through

judicialinaction constitm esunlawfulinactionthatallowsacompetitiveinjurytoPlaintiffand

bestow sa com petitive advantage in the sam e Republican prim al'y in w hich Plaintiffcom petes

w ith D onald J.TnIm p.lz

R ELEVANT LAW & L EGAL A NALYSIS

17. D onald J.Tnzm p is a declared candidate forthe R epublican nom ination forthe

Presidenc'y ofthe U nited Statesforthe 2024 election season.

18. A rticle 1l,Section 1 oftheU nited StatesConstitution statesthatany person w ho

entersthe Office ofthe Presidentofthe United StatesofAm erica shalltakethe following O ath

orAffirmation:''1do solemnly swear(oraffirm)thatIwillfaithfully executetheOffice of

10Lexmarklnt' l, lnc.v.StaticCont
rolComponents,lnc.,572U.S.118(2014)
11PublicCitizenv. FEC,788F. 3d312(DC Cir.2015).
12SeeCitizensforResp.(j:Ethicsin Washingtonv.Trump,939F.3d131,143(2dCir.2019).
ORIGINM COI HPT,AINT - CASTRO I
J.TRUMP
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PresidentoftheUnited States,and willto the bestofmy ability,preserve,protectand defend

the Constitution ofthe U nited States.''

19. Sincethefotmding ofournation,those who assum ecivilorm ilitary positions

underfederalor state law are required to take an oath and thereby state thatthey w illdefend

the Constitm ion ofthe U nited Statesagainstallenem ies,foreign and dom estic.

20. Taking the side of a foreign enem y iscovered by the Treason Clause in Article

111,Section 3,Clause 1 ofthe United States Constitution.Itstates:tt-l-reason againsttheU nited

States,shallconsistonly in levying W aragainstthem,orin adheringto theirEnemies,giving

them A id and Com fort.''

21. TheAnti-lnsurrectionQualificationClauseinSection3ofthe14thAmendment
ofthe U nited States Constitution coverstaking the side ofa dom estic enem y.

Anti-lnsurrectionQualification Clause
22. Section 3 of the 14th A m endm ent of the U nited States Constitm ion is best

described asthe Anti-lnsurrection Qualification Clause.ltestablishes that,in orderto be

eligible to hold any oftice in the U nited States,a person m usthave neverviolated an O ath of

O ffice,which alw ays includes a pledge to supportthe U nited States Constim tion.

23. TheAnti-lnsurrectionQualitkationClauseinSection3ofthe14thAmendment
oftheUnited StatesConstitution statesthattlgnqoperson shallbeaSenatororRepresentative
in Congress,orelector of President arld V ice President,orhold any office,civilor m ilitary,

undertheU nited States,orunderany State,who,having previously taken an oath,asa m em ber

of Congress,oras an officer ofthe United States,or as a m em berof any State legislam re,or

t asanexecutiveorjudicialofficerofanyState,tosupporttheConstitutionoftheUnitedStates,
shallhaveengagedininsurrectionorrebellionagainstthesnme,orgivenaidorcomforttothe

ORIGINAL COA LM NT - CM TRO &.TRUMP

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enemies thereof.But Congress m ay by a vote oftwo-thirds of each House,rem ove such

disability-''

A m endm entXIV ,Section 3,C lause 1

24. Clause 1ofSection 3 ofthe 14th Amendm entoftheUnited StatesConstitution

reads:&çNo person shall...hold any office,civilormilitary,undertheUnited States,orunder

any State,who,having previously taken an oath...to supportthe Constitm ion ofthe United

States,shallhaveengagedin insurrection orrebellionagainstthesnme,orgiven aidorcomfort

totheenemiesthereof.''

25. The w ord Glengaged'' for the pup ose of Sed ion 3 of the 14th A m endm ent

Gtim plies,and wasintended to im ply,avoluntary effortto assisttheInsurrection...And further,

the...actionmustspringfrom (ajwantofsympathywiththeinsurrectionarymovement.''l3
AstheU.S.Supreme Courthasarticulated,ttlwlithouta stattztory definition,
(onemustjturntothephrase'splainmeaning.''l4
27. M eninm -W ebster's Dictionary defines an Elinsurrection'' to be tlan act or

instance ofrevolting againstcivilauthority oran established governm ent.''An instanceisEûa

step,stage,or situation view ed as partof a process or series ofevents.''Participation in the

early orlate stages ofan eventstillconstitute çtal'

linstance.'' This w ould apply to the wife of

United States Suprem e CourtJustice Clarence Thom as,Virginia Thomas,requiring Justice

Thomas'mandatoryrecusalunder28U.S.C.j455,whichPlaintiffassertshereintopreserve
forappeal.

Of the term tErevolting,''M errinm-W ebster says lGto renotmce. . . subjection.

''

13See U.S.v.Powel l,65N.C.709(C.C.D.N.C.1871).

14See Tanzin v. Tanvir,141S.Ct.486,491(2020)(thereafterreferencingMerriam-Webster'sCollegiate
Dictionaryfortheplainmeaningofaterm).
ORIGINAL COMPLAINT - CASTRO &.TRUMP
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Renounce isto Gtrefuse to follow,obey,orrecognize.''Subjection isbeing ttplaced tmder

authority.''Thus,an insurrection include al1stages ofthe eventw herein at atIeastone stage
l
therewasarefusalto recognizetheauthority ofan established governmentalbody,such asthe

United States Senate and itscerem onialreading ofthe certified election resultsand engaging

in violence to undermine b0th thatprocessand the U nited States Constim tion.

29. Donald J.Trum p sum moned the m ob to ournation's Capitol,organized and

assem bled the mob,allowed weapons in the crowd by ordering security to 1etthem pass,

radicalized themob with incendiary rhetoric,ordered them to m arch totheCapitol,refused to

m ake public statem ents to denotm ce the violence and calloffthe m ob for 187 m inutes,and

when itbecnm e clearthatthe m ob had failed to use violence to preventthe certification ofthe

election results,then and only then,didformerPresidentDonald J.Trump orderthem ob to go

1
.
hom e,butnot before saying ltw e love you''and calling the violentm ob tGvery special''after

they had violently attacked the U nited States Capitol. A 11ofthese instancesw ere partof the

overallJanuary 6 Insurrection in w hich D onald J.Trum p w asdirectly and irrefutably involved.

30. Clause 1of Section 3 ofthe 14th A m endm entto the U nited StatesConstitution

declares that anyone deem ed to have engaged in insurrection are çtenem ies.''H ow ever,less

focus is given to the factthat Section 3 sim ilarly disqualifies those w ho have given ttaid or

com fort''to insurrectionists.

31. GtA id orcom fortm ay be given to an enem y by w ordsofencotlragem ent,orthe

expression of an opinion,from one occupying an influentialposition.''ls

32. There is adistinction betw een dom estic ûGaid orcom fort''to insurrectionistsand

2 foreign Edaid and com fort''to invaders. This w as highlighted by President Andrew Johnson's

15M cKeev. Young,2Bart

.El.Cas.422(1868).
ORTGINM COMPT,ATNT - CASTRO v.TRUMP
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commentsto aNew Hampshiredelegation thatts-l-reason isacrime and mustbepunished asa

crim e...ltm ustnotbe excused as an unsuccessfulrebellion.''l6 Itw as later reasoned thatif

iûinsurrection and levying warwasacceptedastreason,hundredsofthousandsofm en,mostof

them youths, w ere guilty of the offense that carried a m andatory sentence of death by

hanging.''l; Gtrl-o the Congress, theo1d 1aw wasunworkableforthegcivilW ar)...gthus,on1

July 31,1861,Congresspassed a 1aw which provided that anyone fotmd guilty ofconspiracy

to overthrow the United StatesGovernmentorto interferewith theoperation ofitslawsshall

beguilty ofahigh crim e-''lB

33. tt-l-he offenses for w hich exclusion from office is denounced are not m erely

engaging in insurrection...butthe giving ofaid or com fortto theirenem ies.''lg In thatcase,

Judge Chase,whom him selfw asbalancing hisneed for im pm iality with his desire to pursue

the Presidency,insinuated thatthe inclusion of the ttaid or com fort''disqualifier in Section 3

ofthe 14th Am endm entapplied only inthecontextofa foreign invasion orwar.JudgeChase

w as an abolitionistbutstillan am bitiousand aspiring politician who considered cam paigning

forthePresidency and did notwantto upsetthe South by declaring thatthe reference in Section

3 to tlenem ies''applied to the ins= ectionists and rebels that fought for the Confederacy.

Giving lsaid and com fort''to foreign enem ies w as already covered by the Treason Clause in

Article 111, Section 3, Clause 1 of the United States Constitution. Section 3 of the 14th

A m endm ent,being a post-civilw aram endm ent,w asrefening solely to dom estic enem iesthat

engaged in insurrection orrebellion againsttheU nited Statesand had previously given an oath

16SeeJ.G .Randall, TheCi

vilWarandReconstruction 707(1937)(firstomissioninoriginal).
17SeeJonathan Trum an Dorris,PardonandAmnesty UnderLincolnandlohnson-TheRestorationofthe
ConfederatestoTheirRightsandPrivileges1861-1898,at4(1953).
18SeeC.EllenConnally,TheUseoftheFourteenthAmendmentbySalmonP.ChaseintheTrialofleferson
Dtzv9,42AkronL.Rev.1165,1l65(2009).
19InreGrl n,l1F.Cas.7(C.C.D.Va.1869).
ORIGINAL COU LM NT - CASTRO &.TRUMP
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to supportthe Constitution;thereby only targeting higher-levelofficialsthatare required to

take oaths.

34. This is supported by the factthatthe ûEfinalversion of Section 3 reflected a

refinem ent of the radicals'philosophy of fonnalequality.Opposition to the broader House

proposalarose in partfrom the w idespread view thatm any Confederate soldiers,even if not

conscripted,hadlittlerealchoicebuttojointheSouthem cause.Inthatlight,thefinalversion
ofSection 3 wasnotlesspunitive so m uch asitwasm oretargeted.W hereasthe House version

promised toaffecttherank andfile,theSenateversion would reach onlytheseniorleadership.

M oreover,the Senate version was,in im portantw ays,harsher than the H ouse version.The

H ouse m eastlre would have stm setin 1870 and applied only to federalelections.By contrast,

thefinalversiongofSection31pennanentlyrenderedvirtuallytheentirepoliticalleadershipof
the South ineligible for office,both state and federal.The tinal version of Section 3 thus

reflededanuanced view :ascompared with felons,Confederateoffcialsweremoredeserving

ofpunishm entand Southern footsoldiers w ere less so.''20

35. Every federal, state, and local public official that offered words of

encouragement,show ofsym pathy,orexpression ofsupportforordefense of,theJanuary 6

Insurrection m ust, pursuant to Section 3 of the 14th A m endm ent to the U nited States

Constitution,bedeclared ineligible to hold any civilormilitary office in theUnited Statesat

thefederal,state,orlocallevel.

36. Donald J.Tnzm p isnotthe only public officialineligibleto hold publicoffice

under Section 3 ofthe 14th Amendment.Soon-to-be Defendants whose Plaintiffs will be

20SeeRichardM .Re, ChristopherM.Re,Voti

ngandVice.CriminalDisenjmnchisementandthe
ReconstructionAmendments,121YaleL.J.l584,1622-23(2012),
.alsoseeEricFoner,Reconstruction:
America'sUnhnishedRevolution 1863-1877,at259(1988).
ORIGINM COMPLM NT - CASTRO &.TRUMP
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primary challengerswithjudicialstandingto suewillinclude,butmostcertainly willnotbe

limitedto,CongressmembersM arjorieTaylorGreene (R-Ga.),M o Brooks(R-Ala.),Lauren
Boebert(R-Colo.),LouieGohmert(R-Texas),PaulGosar(R-Ariz.),andAndyBiggs(R-Ariz.)
for giving tGaid orcom fort''to insun-ectionists.

A m endm entM V ,Section 3,Clause 2

Clause2 ofSection 3ofthe 14th Am endmentto theUnited StatesConstitution

reads'
. Gicongress m ay, by a vote of tw o-third of each H ouse, rem ove such disability.''

(Emphasisadded).
38. Plaintiff em phasizes the Constim tion's use of the tenn lteach'' since there

appearsto be widespread m isconception thatonly the U .S.H ouse ofRepresentativesisneeded

to rem ove the disqualifying disability,which stem sfrom the 1868 case ofButler.lz Therefore,

if290 m em bers ofthe U .S.H ouse ofRepresentativesand 67 m em bersofthe U .S.Senate vote

to remove the disqualifying disability,a person otherwise ineligible to hold office lmder

Section 3 of the 14th A m endm ent could hold oftice. ln today's political clim ate, this is

impossible.

Itisalso criticalto anticipatorily highlightthataPresidentialpardon doesnot

remove this disability sincethe United States Constitution m ovidesthatonly Congressm ay

liftthe disability.Thisis contrary to an old,outdated,and dearly biased Attom ey General

Opinion from Southem Confederate Augustus Garland that atlem pted to lim it its scope; it

inexplicably ignored the term ûteach''and suggested apresidentialpardon could remove the

qualification disability notwithstanding theConstitution'scleazand exclusivereservation and

delegation ofthatpow er solely to Congress.zz

21SeeButler, 2Bart.El.Cas.46l(1868).
22Seezfzwfon'sCase,18Op.Att y.Gen.149(1885).
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Scope ofA m endm entX lV

40. The disqualitk ation applies to both civiland military positions at both the

federaland statelevel,whichhasbeenjudiciallydeterminedtoevenincludealocalconstable
Position-z3

41. tt-fherecan beno officewhich isnoteitherlegislative,judicial,orexecutive

gcoveredby Section3ofthe14thAmendmentbecause!...itembraceseveryoffice...fand)it
waspassed topunish thosehigh in authority...fortheirbad faith towardthegovernm entthey

hadsworn gintheiroathofofticejto support.''z4

42. lû-f'
he am endm entappliesto a11the states ofthe U nion,to al1oflices underthe

United Statesorunderany state,and to al1personsin the category ofprohibition,and fora1l

tim epresentand f'um re.''zs Itisa lifetime ban from publicoffice.

As m entioned before, Section 3 of the 14th A m endm ent is m erely an Anti-

Insurredion Qualitscation Clause.Itwasnotintended tobeapunishmentforsomeonewho

engaged in an insurrection orgave aid orcom fortto insurred ionistsany m ore than the N atural

Bolm Citizen qualification clause isptm itive.Ifyou arenota nam ralborn citizen ofthe United

States,you cannothold the Office ofthe Presidency.Ifyou violated youroath ofoffice by

engaging in an insurrection,you cannot hold the Office of the Presidency.lt's a m ere

qualification forthe office.

Enforcem ent ofA m endm entM V

44. ln an attempt to neutralize Section 3 of the 14th Am endment, som e

com m entators dating as farback as 1868 developed the legaltheory thatthisprovision ofthe

23See U.S.v.Powell,65N.
C.709(C.C.D.
N.C.l871).
24Id
25Inre(Jry/zn,11F.Cas.7(C.C.D.Va.1869).
ORIGINAL COMPLMNT - CASTRO &.TRUMP
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United StatesConstitution wasunenforceable withoutenabling legislation.Such a suggestion

is legally baseless,patently frivolous,and w holly withoutm erit.

45. ln fact,itw asthe Presidentofthe Confederacy,Jefferson D avis,who,in 1868,

contended thatSection 3 wl,

&self-executing and,therefore,barred hiscrim inaltrialfortreason.

SeeGerardN Magliocca,AmnestyandsectionThreeoftheFourteenthAmendment,36Const.
Comment.87 (2021).Moreover,itwasJudgeChasewhoagreedin JeffersonDavis'criminal
trialthat Section 3 was self-executing'
,thereby im plicating the prohibition against Double

Jeopardy.z6 Shortly thereafter, however,JusticeChasereversedhisposition and declared that

Section 3 w as not self-executing when a black crim inaldefendantchallenged his conviction

on thegroundsthatthejudgepresiding overhistrialfoughtforthe Confederacy and was,

therefore,ineligible to preside over his trialrendering his guilty verdict nulland void.27

Followingtheseirreconcilablerulingsfrom aclearlybiasedJusticeChasewhocouldnotm ake

up his m ind,Congress decided to act on its own by enacting Section 3 enforcem ent statutes

and,shortly thereafter,federalprosecutors began bringing actions to oustineligible officials,

including halfofthe Tennessee Suprem e Court.28 Congress'enactm entoflegislation wasnot

an admission thatSection 3 wasnotself-executing;itwas to avoid the lunacy of a clearly

( biased,conflicted,and politically active ChiefJusticethatcould notperform the functionsof

hisoffice in a neutral,intellectual,fair,and im partialm nnner.

46. In 1871,Am os Pow ellwas indicted,via an enabling statute m aking ita crime

to know ingly violate Section 3 ofthe 14th Am endm ent,ûçfor accepting the office of sheriff

26SeeCaseofDavis,7F.cas.63,90,92-94,(C.C.D.Va.1867)@ o.3,621a)(describingDavis'argumentand
theGovernment'sresponse);1d.at102(notingtheChiefJustice'sview).
27lnreGrl n,llF.Cas.7(C.C.D.Va.1869)@ o.5,815).
28SeeActt p
/Az/'
tzp3l,1870(FirstKuKluxKlanAct),ch.ll4,j14,16Stat.140,143;id.atj15(imposing
..

criminalpenaltiesforknowingSectionThreeviolations);Sam D.Elliott WhentheUnitedStatesAttorneySued

toRemoveHalftheTennesseeSupremeCourt:TheQuoWarrantoCasesof1870,49TennB.J.20(2013).
ORIGINAL COU LM NT - CASTRO v.TRUMP
Page 13 of18

:
Case 9:23-cv-80015-AMC Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/06/2023 Page 14 of 18

whendisqualifiedfrom holdingofficebythe14thAmendment...landthejindictmentcharged
thatthe defendantknow ingly accepted office underthe state ofN orth Carolina,to w hich he

WaS ineligible under the provisions Of the 3d section ofthe 14th Amendm ent.'og In other

w ords,to attach crim inalpenalties,enabling legislation is absolutely required since Section 3

ofthe 14th A m endm entm akesno reference to crim inalpenalties.

Congress m ust pass legislation m aking it a felony for anyone to aid in the

inaugtlration or induction into public office anyone who has given aid or com fort to

insurrectionistsin violation ofSection 3 ofthe 14th Am endment. Thiswould crim inalizeal1

ofthe organizersofan inauguration contrary to theU .S.Constitm ion.

48. Congresscertainlyhasjurisdictiontoexpelorexcludeitsownmembersthatit
determ ineshave violated Section 3 ofthe 14th A m endm ent.3o How ever, itistmclear whether

Congresscan unilaterally imposesaid disability on the Executive Branch sincethatcould be

deem ed an encroachment on a separate branch of the federalgovemm ent.Nevertheless,a

Congressionalfinding of liability would certainly aid the federaljudiciary's fact-finding

m ission.

49. Plaintiffincop orates,by reference,allofthefindingsoftheU .S.House Select

Com m ittee to Investigate the January 6th A ttack on the United StatesCapitol.

Historically,the neutralfinderoffactand arbiteroflaw hasbeen the federal

judidary.Consistentwith ourprindplesoffederalism and separation ofpowers,itismore

likelythatthefederaljudiciaryand,inparticular,theUnitedStatesSupremeCourtwouldbe
the only authority thatthe draftersofSection 3 could have possibly envisioned as being the

m ostcom petentand legitim atebodyto determ inewhetheranindividualisineligibleunderthe

29See U.S.v.Powell,65N.
C.709(C.C.D.N.C.1871).
30SeePowellv.M ccormack,395U.S.486(1969).

ORIGINAL COMPLM NT - CASTRO &.TRUMP

Page 14 of18
Case 9:23-cv-80015-AMC Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/06/2023 Page 15 of 18

Anti-lnsurrectionQualifcation Clause.
FACTUAL A LLEGATIONS

D onald J.Trum p'sR ole in the

January 6 lnsurrection

On January 6,2021,D onald J.Tnlm p instructed his cnm paign supporters to

ttfight like hell.'' There is no intep retation of this phrase that suggests law fuland peaceful

m eansto resolve a dispute.

On January 6,2021,as insurrectionists laid siege to the U nited States Capitol,

M r.Trum p took no action despite being repeatedly contacted by fnm ily and friends to calloff

the attack;thereby im pliedly ratifying the insurrection.

53. W hen M r. Trum p fnally spoke on the m atter, speaking directly to the

insurrectionists, he said ttwe love you, you're very special.'' These w ere w ords of

encotlragem entand arlirrefm able display ofsym pathy w ith the insurrectionary m ovem ent.

54. On Saturday,January 29,2022,a little m ore than one year afterthe Jarm ary 6

Insurrection,show ing absolutely no rem orse,M r.Trum p publicly declared thattllfInm and 1

win,wewilltreatthosepeoplefrom January 6 fairly...and ifitrequirespardons,wewillgive

them pardons.''M orewordsofencouragem ent,displaysofsympathy,and ratitication ofthe

insurrectionary attack on the U nited States Capitol.

55. ln the entire history ofthe U nited States,there has never been a Presidentor a

Presidentialcandidate thathaspublicly vowed to pardon criminals thatbrazenly attacked a

separate branch ofthe federalgovernm ent.And one day,itm ay be this Courtor the U nited

StatesSuprem e Cotu'
tthatinsurrectionistscom e looking forifad ion isnottaken today.

COUNT O NE
D ECLARE DONALD J.T RUM P

ORIGINAL COMPIA INT - CASTRO &.TRUMP

Page 15 of18
Case 9:23-cv-80015-AMC Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/06/2023 Page 16 of 18

CONSTITUTIONALLY INELIGIBLE FOR PUBLIC O FFICE

PlaintiffincorporatesParagraphs 1through 55 asiffully setforth herein.

Basedona1loftheforegoingand inanticipationoflitigation instatecourtsonce

both PlaintiffCastro and DefendantTrump file ballotaccessapplications,Plaintiffasksthis

Courtto declare thatD onald J.Tnzm p did,in fact,provide aid orcom fortto the insurrectionists

that attacked our U nited States Capitol on January 6, 2021, thereby rendering him

constitutionally ineligible to hold public office pursuantto Section 3 ofthe 14th Am endm ent

to the U nited States Constim tion.

COUNT TW O
E NJOIN D ONALD Z TRUM P FROM ENGAGING IN A NY FURTHER
POLITICAL C AM PAIGNING OR POLITICAL FUNDM ISING

58. PlaintiffincorporatesParagraphs 1through 57 asiffully setforth herein.

59. Based on the foregoing,the Courtm ust order Donald J.Tnzm p to cease al1

politicalcam paigning and politicalfundraising asunconstitutionalactivitiesin directviolation

ofSection 3 ofthe 14th A m endm ent.

R ELIEF R EQUESTED

W HEREFORE,Plaintiff,JOI4N A NTHONY CASTRO,requeststhatthisCourttinds that:

A. The January 6,2021,attack on the United States Capitolw as an insurrection

w ithin the m eaning ofSection 3 ofthe 14th A m endm entto the U .S.Constitution.

Donald J.Tnzm p provided aid orcom fortto the insurrectionistsin the form of

words ofencouragem entand expressions ofsupportspringing from a w antofsm pathy w ith

theinsurrectionary attack on theUnited StatesCapitol.

C. A s such,Donald J.Trum p isconstitutionally ineligible to hold any public office

in the United StatesofA m erica.

ORIGINM COMPLM NT - CASTRO &.TRUMP

Page 16 of18
Case 9:23-cv-80015-AMC Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/06/2023 Page 17 of 18

D. M oreover, D onald J. Trum p m ust im m ediately cease any and a11 political

cam paigning and politicalfundraising.

Such otherand furtherreliefthatthis Courtdeem s equitable and proper,such

as m andating thatD onald J.Trum p's cam paign reftm d alldonors.

Respectful subm itted

January 6,2023 By
JO AN TH ON Y CA STRO
12 Park Place
M ansfield,TX 76063
Tel.(202)594 -4344
J.castro@ lohncastro.com
PLA IN TIFF PR 0 SE

ORIGINAL COMPLMNT - CASTRO &.TRUMP

Page 17 of18
 Case 9:23-cv-80015-AMC Document 1 Entered on FLSD Docket 01/06/2023 Page 18 of 18

V ER IFIC A TIO N

1,Jolm A nthony Castro,declare asfollow s:

1. lam theplaintiffin thepresentcase,aU.S.citizen,and an FEc-registered

Republicanprimarypresidentialcandidate(CandidateFEC ID NumberP40007320)
forthe2024 PresidentialElection.

J. 1intend to f'
ully utilize allofm y skillsand know ledge to preventD onald J.Trtlm p

f'
rom being elected to orholding any public oftice in theU .S.

J. Ihave personalfirst-hand know ledge ofthe m atterssetforth in this Com plaint,

including w itnessing D onald J.Tnzm p providing w ordsofcom fortto the

insurrectionists on live television,and,ifcalled upon to testify,1w ould com petently

testify as to the m attersstated herein.

.
#. Pursuantto28U.S.C.j1746,1verifytmderpenaltyofperjtlrythattheentiretyofthe
foregoing Com plaintistrue and correct.

Executed on January 6,2023.

J A nthony Castro

'
j

ORIGINAL COU T,
ATNT - CASTRO IJ.TRUMP
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