FL Lawyer Files Civil Suit Seeking To Disqualify Trump

Miami’s ABC affiliate reports:

A South Florida lawyer has filed a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump in which he argues that the former president is ineligible for office. When asked why he is suing, Boynton Beach-based attorney Lawrence Caplan said on Friday it’s all laid out in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Caplan added other lawsuits may follow. “I’m not political. I’ve voted for both Democratic and Republican presidents,” he said. He may not be overly political, but Caplan said he has concerns if Trump becomes president of the United States again.

“It’s really common sense, based upon the facts that we know them today, regarding specifically the January 6th indictment, that Donald Trump was very much involved in the planning,” he said.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:

The theory has received lots of attention in recent weeks after legal scholars — including one of the nation’s preeminent conservative legal thinkers and members of the conservative Federalist Society — said the 14th Amendment unquestionably applies to Trump.

Caplan’s lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court in South Florida, utilizes that theory in asking the court to declare Trump is barred from seeking the presidency and is barred from participating in the 2024 Florida Republican primary.

“Realistically, it’s not a Hail Mary, but it’s just tossing the ball up and hoping it lands in the right place,” said Charles Zelden, a professor of history and legal studies who specializes in politics and voting at Nova Southeastern University.

Trump ineligible for presidency because of his role in insurrection, lawsuit says https://t.co/mP7OiDrujZ pic.twitter.com/LNc7tLLoXS

— South Florida Sun Sentinel (@SunSentinel) August 25, 2023