Colorado voters might not find Donald Trump on their ballot.
The Colorado Supreme Court, in a 4-to-3 ruling on Tuesday, found that the former president is not “eligible” to hold office again after accepting the argument that the 14th Amendment disqualifies him from the upcoming 2024 election, according to the New York Times.
“A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” wrote the court’s majority in its opinion. “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.”
According to the Times, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment disqualifies people who have engaged in insurrection against the Constitution after having taken an oath to support it for holding office. The “lengthy” ruling reversed a Denver district judge’s finding last month that the section did not apply to the presidency.
Trump’s involvement with the Jan. 6 riots on the Capitol is the center of the ruling. After losing the presidential election to Joe Biden in 2020, Trump delivered a speech in Washington D.C. where he urged his supporters to march to the Capitol and “stop the steal.” His supporters infamously made an attempt to stop the certification of the election results by storming the Capitol, leading to numerous arrests and a second impeachment for Trump.
“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the majority continued in their opinion. “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 confirmed in a statement that he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing group’s scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trump’s name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice,” said campaign spokesman, 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 un-American lawsuits.”
Although the ruling only applies to Colorado, the New York Times reports that if the Supreme Court were to affirm it, the disqualification could be applied more broadly to other states.
