In their court filing, Trump's lawyers questioned the Colorado ruling, which involved a provision in the constitution barring anyone who "engaged in insurrection" from holding public office.

They said the question of presidential eligibility is reserved for Congress - not state courts.

And argued that the provision does not apply in this case anyway, because the U.S. president is not a public officer.

The petition places a politically explosive case before the nation's highest judicial body, where half of the conservative majority are Trump appointees.

The justices' action will shape a wider effort to disqualify Trump from other state ballots.

That includes Maine, where Trump is also appealing a decision by a top election official there to ban him from the state's primary vote.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden's re-election campaign is signalling a shift in tone, as he makes plans to sharpen an attack on the Republican presidential frontrunner.

Biden will mark the third anniversary of the Capitol attack with a political speech in Pennsylvania, making the case that Trump poses an existential threat to democracy, according to the campaign team.

Due to a forecast winter storm, the speech will be delivered a day early on January 5.

After Pennsylvania, Biden will visit a historic Black church in South Carolina, where he will focus on rising threats of political violence.

The two visits will be Biden's most direct public attacks on Trump so far in the 2024 race, having spent most of the past year touting his signature legislation and the economy.

According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, Trump holds a small 2-point lead in a head-to-head matchup, with 38% for Trump and 36% for Biden.