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Joe Alter v. Donald J. Trump

Paid petition · United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, No. 24-5132 · judgment September 4, 2024


Certiorari denied · January 27, 2025
Pre-decision estimate: 0% cert probability

Before the decision, well below the 4.1% base rate, with no standout signals pointing toward a grant.

Questions presented

  1. Whether Alter v. Trump sufficiently distinguishes itself from Trump v. Anderson such that the merits of the case should be considered by the Federal courts?

  2. Whether an ordinary citizen has standing to challenge a former President’s qualifications under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment in the Federal courts, in light of the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Elections Clause of the Constitution? “We regard it as equally unquestionable that the right to have one’s vote counted is as open to protection by Congress as the right to put a ballot in a box.” — United States v. Mosley, 238 U.S. 383 (1915) US Supreme Court Does Petitioner Alter, therefore, have a reasonable expectation that the Federal government will count his vote and the votes of others who share his political interests, ensuring their votes are represented by lawful electors at the time of counting, untainted by acts of insurrection or fraudulent actions as described in the Insurrection Clause, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act?

Counsel of record

For petitioner
Joe Alter

For respondent
Sarah M. Harris
Acting Solicitor General

Case

Conference history
Distributed for 1 conference

Proceedings

  1. Jan 27 2025
    Petition DENIED.
  2. Jan 08 2025
    DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/24/2025.
  3. Jan 06 2025
    Waiver of right of respondent Trump, Donald J. to respond filed.
  4. Nov 20 2024
    Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due January 6, 2025)