text in a dramatic departure from previous amendments sought to bring justice to millions of formerly enslaved black americans and to insure that the formerly elected officials who waged war against the united states would not be allowed to serve in elected office again. that is the purpose of section 3. now, knowing all that, at issue today before the court were some key questions. one, do states have the right to enforce section 3 or can only congress do that? two, did the drafters intend to include presidents and vice presidents when they drafted this punishment? and three, is this section self-executing, which is technical jargon for this thing goes into effect without any other mechanisms such as anoct of congress. trump s lawyer jonathan mitchell who happens to be the guy who wrote the texas abortion bounty law, kept referring to something known as the griffin case. what is the griffin case, you ask. if you read any recent stories about the 14th amendment, it s possible