Jamba Juice to Supreme Court: Electoral College voter and his conscience

Micheal Baca was working at Jamba Juice and driving for Uber and Lyft, just trying to get by. He didn't plan on becoming a central figure in a test of one of America’s foundational political institutions.

But then he was chosen as a member of the Electoral College, the creaky mechanism, established by the Constitution, that actually names the nation’s chief executive. 

As an official elector for Colorado in the 2016 presidential election, Mr. Baca tried to cast his ballot for someone other than Hillary Clinton, who won the state’s popular vote. Election officials replaced him, citing state law.

So he became party to a federal lawsuit meant to establish the bounds of electors’ freedom. An appeals court ruled in his favor last August. The issue could soon land in the Supreme Court, as 22 states have joined Colorado in urging high court justices to review the 10th Circuit appeals

Origins and first crisisColorado electors and the 2016 presidential electionThe National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, explainedWhat comes next?