Supreme Court Rejects Emergency Appeal, Handing GOP Big Win

Ronan filed a lawsuit, but Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah Morrison upheld the decision, finding that the state’s interest in maintaining election integrity outweighed any burden on his constitutional claims.

“It cannot be the case that a State must allow a candidate on a partisan ballot even if he lied about his party affiliation simply because the First Amendment is implicated,” the Trump-appointed judge wrote.

A three-judge appeals panel later declined to reinstate Ronan on the ballot. He then took his battle to the Supreme Court alongside Ohio voter Ana Cordero, who argued that she wanted the chance to vote for him in the GOP primary. “The First Amendment violation in this case warrants immediate injunctive relief,” they wrote in their emergency filing.

The duo argued that Ronan was removed from the Republican primary ballot solely due to his political speech and contested accusations that he falsely identified as a Republican. “But Applicant Ronan did not lie,” they argued in the high court filing.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office responded with a filing of their own, arguing that there was “just one problem” with Ronan’s attempt to run as a Republican: “He is a Democrat.” In their final response to the justices, Ronan and Cordero cautioned that preventing the candidate from appearing on the ballot could set a dangerous precedent for future candidates.

Separately, a federal judge this week blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for thousands of Ethiopian nationals, marking another legal clash over immigration policy and executive authority.

U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy ruled that President Donald J. Trump’s administration could not move forward with terminating the program, finding that the process used to revoke protections likely violated federal law. The decision delays the effective end of TPS for more than 5,000 Ethiopians currently living and working in the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security administers Temporary Protected Status. It allows individuals from designated countries experiencing armed conflict, disaster, or extraordinary conditions to remain in the U.S. temporarily. Ethiopia was initially granted TPS designation in 2022, with protections later extended through early 2026.