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 stateā€™s 2024 ballot, ruling that he isnā€™t an eligible presidential candidate because of the 14th Amendmentā€™s ā€œinsurrectionist ban.ā€

ā€œEven 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.

ā€œPresident Trumpā€™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.ā€

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 ā€œengaged in insurrection.ā€ But the wording is vague, it doesnā€™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,ā€ 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 ā€œwas not enacted to decide whether a candidate engaged in insurrection,ā€ and said he would have dismissed the challenge to Trumpā€™s eligibility.

LINKS

AP: Colorado Supreme Court bans Trump from the stateā€™s ballot under Constitutionā€™s insurrection clause | @negativenull@startrek.website

Washington Post: Donald Trump is barred from Coloradoā€™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 stateā€™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 Amendmentā€™s ā€˜insurrectionist banā€™ | @Boddhisatva

New York Times: Trump Is Disqualified From the 2024 Ballot, Colorado Supreme Court Rules | @silence7@slrpnk.net

  • doctorcrimson
    8Ā·
    11 months ago

    Is there much at stake? Biden was very highly likely to win CO to begin with.

    • jordanlund@lemmy.worldM
      25Ā·
      11 months ago

      It sets the precedent for other states to strike him.

      If he ends up not being the candidate in enough states to deny him 270 votes, heā€™s done.

      • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
        2Ā·
        11 months ago

        I worry weā€™d instead see Republicans trying to remove Biden from the ballot because the House ā€œimpeachesā€ him.

      • root_beer@midwest.socialEnglish
        2Ā·
        11 months ago

        Which states would actually bar him though? I thought the same thing, that heā€™d have lost CO anyway, and Iā€™m just not seeing this happening in states where heā€™s likely to win or where itā€™d actually be competitive.

        Iā€™m not trying to be a pessimist or anything, despite it being my usual inclination, Iā€™d genuinely like to know whether other states might actually do the right thing, where it counts.