Trump Ineligible from Colorado 2024 Ballot
On December 19, 2023, Colorado's Supreme Court ruled that Trump's actions leading up to the infamous January 6 Capitol riot amount to insurrection, thereby disqualifying him from holding office again. The court applied Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to Trump, which disqualifies people who engage in insurrection against the Constitution after taking an oath to support it. This is an argument that has been made by his opponents nationwide.
The ruling directs the Colorado secretary of state to exclude Trump’s name from the state’s Republican primary ballot. However, it does not address the general election. “We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” wrote the four-justice majority, with three justices dissenting. “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’s campaign has announced that it will appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Colorado justices anticipated this by putting their ruling on hold until Jan. 4. If Trump appeals before then, the hold will continue until the Supreme Court rules. This ruling, although only applicable to one state, could force the nation’s highest court to decide the question for all 50 states.
Anthony Michael Kreis, an assistant professor of law at Georgia State University, stated: “It’s hard for me to see how they don’t take this one, because this certainly seems to be one of those questions that requires some national resolution.” The U.S. Supreme Court, with its 6-to-3 conservative majority and three justices appointed by Trump himself, is already under extraordinary political pressure and scrutiny for its rulings and its justices’ ethics.
