Nevada Judge Dismisses Trump Ballot Eligibility Challenge, Citing GOP Opponent’s ‘Improperly Manufactured’ Standing

A federal judge in Nevada has dismissed a case challenging the eligibility of former President Trump to run in the 2024 election, citing the lack of standing on the part of GOP challenger John Anthony Castro, who initiated the lawsuit in the Silver State.

The order was issued on Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Gloria M. Navarro, an appointee of former President Obama. The lawsuit brought forward by Castro raised questions about whether the U.S. Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment prohibits Trump from holding office due to his alleged role in inciting the January 6 Capitol riot.

“This is a politically charged question of significant interest to the American public,” Navarro noted. “For reasons discussed below, the Court finds that Castro lacks standing, and the Court therefore lacks jurisdiction to hear this case.”

“To have standing to sue in federal court, a plaintiff must have suffered a concrete, particularized, and actual or imminent injury in fact that was caused by the defendant’s challenged conduct and is redressable by a favorable decision,” Navarro explained.

“This limitation on the judicial power prevents a plaintiff from invoking Article III jurisdiction of federal court by asserting what is merely a ‘general interest common to all members of the public.’”

The decision highlighted that Castro’s argument regarding standing for his political competitor has already been rejected by five courts.

“In rejecting his political competitor standing argument, courts have fund that Castro improperly manufactured his standing merely to file this lawsuit,” Navarro writes. “The evidence indicates that Castro is creating his own injury in order to manufacture standing to challenge Trump’s eligibility to run for president.”

The judge observed that by his own admission, Castro “declared as a candidate and paid the filing fee to show the impermissibility of Trump’s presidency.” The ruling cited how Castro was quoted in an Associated Press article as having said, “I’m not going to lie and pretend my candidacy is anything more than trying to enforce the United States Constitution, and that’s what I’m here to do.”

In a footnote, Navarro pointed out that in Nevada, Trump and Castro are not even vying for positions on the same ballot.

“As Castro indicates in his FAC, the Nevada Republican Party is holding a caucus separate from the state-run Presidential Preference Primary. Castro intends on running in the Nevada Republican PP,” the footnote says. “Trump is not participating in the PP and is instead appearing on the caucus ballot.”