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
Recently I watched "The Man in the High Castle" and had a good laugh at the stupid story. Like Germany would have ever been able to conquer the US and put it under Fascism rule. No. When America goes fascist it will do so out of its own choice, by its own politicians, elected by their own population. Like my grandpa once said:
*"The proletariat is so stupid that they vote their own executioner into power just for the vague hope of seeing their hated neighbour in front of them in the queue for the gallows."
"Das Proletariat ist so verblödet dass sie ihren eigenen Henker an die Macht wählen nur aus der vagen Hoffnung zu sehen wie ihr verhaßter Nachbar vor ihnen in der Schlange vorm Galgen steht."*
Abraham Lincoln said something very similar (though the exact nature of the threat he was talking about is the subject of some debates). Those familiar with "Great Moments with Mister Lincoln," the predecessor to Disney's Hall of Presidents, will recognize it. Regardless, it has always stood out to me as very profound and your post reminded me of it:
"At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."
These last few years have continuously provoked the memory of this quote for me as well.
Go dig up “Amerika”, the ABC miniseries from the 80s. Republicans lambasted it, but don’t you know they seem to have taken it as a playbook.
Unless we fight back early and often, we’ll have been taken without realizing it, and Democracy will die in the dark.