The Colorado Supreme Court is removing former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot, saying he is ineligible to be president.
In a stunning and unprecedented decision, the Colorado Supreme Court removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 ballot, ruling that he isn’t an eligible presidential candidate because of the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban.”
“Even when the siege on the Capitol was fully underway, he continued to support it by repeatedly demanding that Vice President (Mike) Pence refuse to perform his constitutional duty and by calling Senators to persuade them to stop the counting of electoral votes.
“President Trump’s direct and express efforts, over several months, exhorting his supporters to march to the Capitol to prevent what he falsely characterized as an alleged fraud on the people of this country were indisputably overt and voluntary.”
Ratified after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment says officials who take an oath to support the Constitution are banned from future office if they “engaged in insurrection.” But the wording is vague, it doesn’t explicitly mention the presidency, and has only been applied twice since 1919.
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,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.
Chief Justice Brian Boatright, one of the three dissenters on the seven-member court, wrote that he believes Colorado election law “was not enacted to decide whether a candidate engaged in insurrection,” and said he would have dismissed the challenge to Trump’s eligibility.
LINKS
AP: Colorado Supreme Court bans Trump from the state’s ballot under Constitution’s insurrection clause | @negativenull@startrek.website
Washington Post: Donald Trump is barred from Colorado’s 2024 primary ballot, the state Supreme Court rules | @silence7@slrpnk.net
CNBC: Colorado Supreme Court disqualifies Trump from 2024 ballot, pauses ruling to allow appeal | @return2ozma
NBC News: Colorado Supreme Court kicks Donald Trump off the state's 2024 ballot for violating the U.S. Constitution. | 18-24-61-B-17-17-4
CNN: Colorado Supreme Court removes Trump from 2024 ballot | A Phlaming Phoenix
CNN:Colorado Supreme Court removes Trump from 2024 ballot based on 14th Amendment’s ‘insurrectionist ban’ | @Boddhisatva
New York Times: Trump Is Disqualified From the 2024 Ballot, Colorado Supreme Court Rules | @silence7@slrpnk.net
You know how the GOP is impeaching Biden as a tit-for-tat for Trump? I can imagine, say, the Wisconsin state legislature trying to remove Biden from the ballot. They'll argue something stupid like "Biden committed insurrection by not supporting fetal rights." Then it'll be up to SCOTUS, of Bush v. Gore fame. They could easily say something like, "Trump hasn't been convicted of insurrection, so Trump must go on the ballot in Colorado. However, since Joe Biden is ignoring Dobbs, Biden is ineligible for the ballot in Wisconsin." Call me paranoid, but I'm not very optimistic about how this will play out.
I think folks might not realize how literal that statement is: fully three of the current sitting Supreme Court Justices (Roberts, Kavanaugh and Barrett) were on Bush's litigation team in that case.
Fuck!
They might try, but this case took three years to get to this point.
Given the Wisconsin Supreme Court just changed its ideological balance as predominantly liberal I don’t see this happening there
So? Then just go for a different candidate.
It is not like people worship Biden like they do Trump. He can be replaced. There are better options even.