In a righteous world, Trump couldn’t run. Does the Supreme Court live in that world?

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in a Colorado case about whether former President Trump’s deep involvement in the deadly events of Jan. 6, 2021, should disqualify him from running again.

Sadly, I think it’s a good bet that the court’s conservative majority will side with Trump and allow his name on the ballot. It’s the least fraught way out for the court, mired in scandals of its own making and undoubtedly loath to throw more fuel on the raging election-year American partisan political fire.

I’ve had mixed feelings about this case since the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in December that allowing Trump on its state ballot would violate Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which, boiled down, forbids anyone who has engaged in or supported insurrection against the American government to hold office.