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Amicus Brief
Amicus Brief
23-719
In The
Supreme Court of the United States
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DONALD J. TRUMP
Petitioner,
v.
Respondents.
--------------------------------- ♦ ---------------------------------
On Writ of Certiorari to the
Colorado Supreme Court
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BRIEF OF AMICI CURIAE
GAVIN M. WAX, NEW YORK YOUNG
REPUBLICAN CLUB INC., AND NATIONAL
CONSTITUTIONAL LAW UNION INC.,
IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONER
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ................................... II
INTEREST OF AMICI CURIAE ............................ 1
SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT ................................ 2
ARGUMENT .......................................................... 5
I. President Trump Has Not “Engaged” in Any
Overt Acts Amounting to Insurrection ...................5
A. The Court Below Ignored The Plain
Meaning of The Word “Engaged” as Originally
Understood ............................................................ 5
B. The Plain Meaning of The Word “Engaged”
as Originally Understood Excluded Mere
Rhetoric .................................................................9
C. Case Law Usage of The Word “Engaged”
and Its Variations From the Appropriate
Historical Period Meant that Overt Acts Beyond
Mere Words Were Required ...............................11
D. The Second Confiscation Act Specified
“Engage” and “Incite” as Separate Acts ............15
E. The Word “Engage” in the War Clause
Requires a State’s Direct Prosecution of War ...16
II. Disqualification Under the Insurrection
Clause Without An Overt Act Can Only Occur in
Instances In Which an Individual Gave “Aid and
Comfort” To The “Enemies” of the United States 17
CONCLUSION ......................................................21
ii
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Page(s)
Cases
Freese v. Swartchild,
35 F. 141 (C.C.N.D. Ill. 1888) ................................ 14
Jennings v. Rodriguez,
583 U.S. 281 (2018)................................................ 16
Kisor v. Wilkie,
139 S. Ct. 2400 (2019).............................................. 8
iii
Luther v. Borden,
48 U.S. 1 (1849).................................................. 7, 10
Renwick v. Pond,
20 F. Cas. 536 (C.C.S.D. N.Y. 1872) ..................... 14
The Kate,
69 U.S. 350 (1864).................................................. 12
Constitutions
Statutes
18 U.S.C. § 2383........................................................ 15
iv
Other Authorities
1No counsel for any party authored any part of the brief.
Only amici curiae funded its preparation and submission.
2
presidential election process by unconstitutional
means.
SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT
CONCLUSION
Respectfully Submitted,