The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a long-shot bid to challenge former President Donald Trump's eligibility to run for the White House in 2024 over his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot.
Little-known Republican presidential candidate John Anthony Castro sued Trump earlier this year in an attempt to disqualify him from holding office over the Jan. 6 riot. The Supreme Court denied the case without comment.
Castro, who has not qualified for any of the GOP primary debates, said he still plans on exploring his other legal options.
"The Supreme Court can deny to hear the case but appellate courts cannot," he wrote Monday on X, formerly Twitter, after the high court's announcement. "I'm still pursuing decisions in the liberal appellate courts and there's a full blown trial scheduled for October 20 in New Hampshire and a bench trial in Arizona on October 31."
The Supreme Court's decision to not hear Castro's case comes as activists have attempted to keep Trump off the 2024 ballot by invoking the 14th Amendment, which bans politicians from holding some public offices after having taken an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution and then having "engaged in insurrection or rebellion."
Related Story: Lawsuit Argues 14th Amendment Eliminates Trump from Presidential Primary Ballot
