Welcome to the readout and we begin tonight with the historic case argued before the

United States Supreme Court earlier today. The question before the court

can the state of Colorado keep the

former president who that state found credibly liable for inciting an

insurrection, can they keep him off the ballot in November?

Now in the face of it seems like a pretty simple question, right?

But it's a question that has never come before the court.

And the debate centers on section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was written by Congress in 1866 and ratified in 1868.

Up until this year, Section 3 was a vestigial portion of the Constitution and the

questions it raised were theoretical. It was written at the end of the Civil War as

the country was trying to reconcile the bitterly divided factions from the north and the south, including

those who had waged war against the United States, many of whom were still bitter

about the loss. Some of their descendants still are. At that time the 14th, which was a radical text and a dramatic departure from

previous amendments, sought to bring justice to millions of

formerly enslaved black Americans and to ensure that the formerly elected officials who waged war against the United States

would not be allowed to serve an elected office again. That is the purpose of section 3.

Now knowing all that at issue today before the court were some key questions. One do states have the right to enforce Section 3 or

can only Congress do that? 2.

Did the drafters intend to include presidents and vice presidents

when they drafted this punishment?

And 3 is this section self-executing,

which is technical jargon for this thing

...