The Michigan Supreme Court today declined to hear a challenge filed by voters in the state seeking to disqualify Donald Trump from the Republican primary, because of the role it played in attack by his supporters on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021.

Voters wanted Trump barred from running by citing an article of the Constitution which excludes those who engaged in “rebellion or rebellion” from public office if they had previously pledged allegiance to the United States.

The result, which was expected, is a victory for the former president, though the effort to remove him could be achieved for the general election.

Wednesday’s decision contrasts with a recent Colorado Supreme Court ruling that barred Trump from the ballotbased on this article.

With these decisions, expected appeals to the US Supreme Court become even more criticalespecially as the US heads toward the start of 2024 primary voting. Unlike Colorado, the lawsuit filed in Michigan never went to trial and was dismissed early in the process.

The Michigan Court of Claims judge who first took over the case said that state law gives election officials no leeway to review the eligibility of presidential candidates. He also said the case raised a political question that should not be decided in the courts.

His decision was upheld by the Michigan Court of Appealswhich said: “Currently, the only event that is going to happen is the presidential election. But, as explained, whether Trump is disqualified is irrelevant to his placement on that particular ballot.”

The order from the Michigan Supreme Court was unsigned, and the court did not release a vote count.

Unlike Colorado, the Michigan courts dismissed the case entirely on procedural grounds. They never got around to the question if January 6th was a riot and if Trump participated in it.

The lower court’s rulings in Michigan kept the door open to future challenges to the 14th Amendment, if Trump wins the Republican nomination.