The Colorado Supreme Court disqualified former President Donald Trump from the state's 2024 presidential primary ballot on Tuesday. In a 4-3 ruling, the court concluded that due to the 14th Amendment's "insurrectionist ban," Trump was not an eligible candidate.
While the court upheld a trial judge's decision that Trump played a role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, it overturned the conclusion that the ban doesn't apply to the presidency. The court's decision only applies to Colorado but could have an impact on the entire 2024 election.
According to CNN, 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 [and] it doesn't explicitly mention the presidency, and has only been applied twice since 1919."
Trump, who has been indicted at the state and federal level over his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election, has pleaded his innocence in the January 6 attack. He has also pleaded not guilty to charges related to the 2020 election.
The former president's campaign has stated it will appeal the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling.
"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," said campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung. "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."
The Colorado Supreme Court's ruling will be placed on hold pending appeal until January 4. According to reports, election officials want the matter settled by January 5, the statutory deadline to set the list of candidates for the GOP primary.
Source: CNN
