Supreme Court opens new frontier for insurrection claims that could target state and local officials

By MORGAN LEE and NICHOLAS RICCARDI
Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two recent U.S. Supreme Court actions have opened the door to a new legal frontier in which local and state officials can be disqualified from office for life for engaging in “insurrection” or providing “aid and comfort” to enemies of the Constitution. The Supreme Court recently said states could not use the 14th Amendment to remove candidates for federal office. But in a separate case this week, it rejected an appeal from a former New Mexico county commissioner who was kicked out of office after he was convicted of trespassing during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.