Trump Barred From Colorado’s Primary Ballot
Former President Donald Trump was removed from Colorado’s 2024 presidential ballot on Tuesday after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that he was guilty of insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.
State Supreme Court Rules Trump Not Eligible To Run In 2024, Removes Him From Ballot https://t.co/rZIVSWzGS7
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) December 19, 2023
“The court found by clear and convincing evidence that President Trump engaged in insurrection as those terms are used in Section Three” of the Fourteenth Amendment,” the 4-3 ruling reads.
“A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot,” the ruling added.
The decision partially reverses a November ruling by Colorado District Court Judge Sarah Wallace that the Fourteenth Amendment cannot be used to disqualify Trump from the primary ballot as he is not an officer of the United States.
The higher courts, like Wallace, agreed that Trump’s challenge of the 2020 election results counts as insurrection and is not protected under the First Amendment.
“We consider and reject President Trump’s argument that his speech on January 6 was protected by the First Amendment,” the ruling stated.
The Court added that the law is to be put on hold until appeal by Jan. 4, 2024. “If review is sought in the Supreme Court before the stay expires on January 4, 2024, then the stay shall remain in place, and the Secretary will continue to be required to include President Trump’s name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot, until the receipt of any order or mandate from the Supreme Court,” the ruling states.
Trump’s campaign has vowed to quickly file an appeal, with a spokesperson saying, “We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits.”
The attempt to boot Trump off Colorado’s primary ballot is one of many filed in states across the U.S. by liberal groups in an attempt to strip President Joe Biden’s biggest threat of a fair election bid. Before this setback, Trump had been on a winning streak and has received favorable rulings in states like Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire.