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Former U.S. president Donald Trump has been kicked off of the 2024 ballot in Colorado, according to an expansive ruling from the state’s all-Democratic supreme court.
The logic behind its decision? That Trump allegedly engaged in insurrection on January 6, 2021 – a day of violent rioting at the U.S. Capitol – and is therefore ineligible to hold the office to which he aspires under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under section three of the Fourteenth Amendment,” a majority of justices ruled (.pdf). “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 secretary may not list President Trump’s name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot, nor may she count any write-in votes cast for him,” the ruling continued.
The court did stay its 4-3 ruling until January 4, 2024 – pending a likely review from the U.S. supreme court after Trump appeals the decision, as he vowed to do.
“The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision,” a statement from the former president’s campaign noted.
That statement indicated Trump had “full confidence” the U.S. supreme court would rule in his favor and “finally put an end to these un-American lawsuits.”
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“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the justices noted. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”
Trump was unlikely to win Colorado’s ten electoral votes – which went to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and to Joe Biden in 2020. Still, the decision threatens to upend the upcoming election – which as of this writing is shaping up as a rematch between Trump and Biden.
Trump would likely win that rematch if the election were held today …
Colorado is the first state to rule that Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021 constituted insurrection – and thus disqualified him from holding office again. Attempts to remove him from the ballot in Minnesota and New Hampshire failed – and appear poised to fail in Michigan, as well.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina and before that he was a bass guitarist and dive bar bouncer. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and seven (soon to be eight) children.
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4 comments
Wouldn’t a candidate need to have been tried for insurrection, and found guilty of it? What investigation did this court, or the state of Colorado do, to determine that the candidate is guilty of insurrection? What is it that he did? He told the people to act lawfully – is that “insurrection”?
We lead the way, here in Colorado.
You’re welcome, America
There was a trial in which evidence was presented showing that Trump engaged in insurrection.
There is no requirement in the 14th amendment that someone be found guilty.
He openly instructed VP Mike “don’t hang me, bruh” Pence to illegally stop certification of the election, and did nothing for hours to stop the mob he sent to the capitol. These are facts, and not the “alternative” kind.