Donald Trump has been declared ineligible for contesting the Colorado primary polls for next year’s presidential elections over his role in the Capitol riots by his supporters. This makes him the first presidential candidate in US history to face such an action. The order invoked a rarely used provision in the US Constitution that disallows officials from holding office if they have engaged in insurrection after taking an oath to support the nation’s constitution.
The Colorado high court has ordered that Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold not list the former US President on the state’s presidential ballot for 2024. The decision was made on December 19 after the court ruled that Trump incited his supporters to riot at the Capitol building. The ruling sets the stage for a legal battle that could see Trump lose his chances of winning the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
A court whose justices are all Democratic appointees has struck out at the businessman, saying he incited his supporters to “engage in an armed rebellion” during the January 6 attack on the Capitol. The ruling is not binding on other states, but if affirmed by the US Supreme Court, it would make it illegal for Trump to run for office in the state.
Activists and voters have filed dozens of lawsuits nationwide to disqualify Trump from running for office again, arguing that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment bars him from taking public office after having “engaged in insurrection or rebellion.” But this is the first case that has gotten this far.
Trump’s campaign has vowed to appeal the decision. “We will swiftly file an appeal to the US Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision,” a statement said.
The Colorado Supreme Court voted 4-3 to uphold a lower court’s ruling and strike the former US President from the state’s presidential ballot for the 2024 election. The court argued that the former president incited his supporters to riot at the state Capitol to overturn the result of the 2020 election.
The ruling is not binding on other states, and the Supreme Court will have the final say in any case that challenges it. But the ruling will send a clear message that courts should not decide whether or not to keep politicians on the ballot, a law professor at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire told CBC’s Canada Tonight.
The ruling also means that votes cast in his name won’t count in the state, but it is not expected to affect the outcome of the presidential race significantly residential race’s outcome. The vote was put on hold until January 4, allowing for an appeal to the US Supreme Court. Trump has a strong lead in the presidential race, though his opponents are gaining ground nationally. He is favored to win the GOP nomination but faces stiff competition from candidates such as John McCain, Bernie Sanders, and Ted Cruz.