In an unprecedented decision in United States history, the Colorado Supreme Court removed former President Donald Trump from that state’s 2024 ballot; the above, after ruling that he is not an eligible presidential candidate due to the “insurrectionist prohibition” of the 14th Amendment. The 4-3 decision will be put on hold until January 4, pending Trump’s appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which could resolve the issue for the entire country.
Can Donald Trump Be President in 2024?
The state Supreme Court’s decision only applies to Colorado, but this landmark ruling could be key to the 2024 presidential campaign should other states follow suit. Colorado election officials have stated that the matter must be resolved by January 5, which is the legal deadline to establish the slate of candidates for the Republican Party primaries scheduled for March 5.
“President Trump didn’t just incite the insurrection. Even as the Capitol siege was in full swing, he continued to support it by repeatedly demanding that Vice President Mike Pence refuse to do his constitutional duty and by calling senators to persuade them to stop the counting of electoral votes. These actions constituted manifest, voluntary, and direct participation in the insurrection,” was the message of the majority of the Court in its unsigned opinion.
Under the ruling in Colorado, the Court concluded that the evidence presented, the vast majority of which was not disputed during the trial, established that President Trump participated in the insurrection. “President Trump’s direct and explicit efforts, over several months, inciting his supporters to march on the Capitol to prevent what he falsely characterized as an alleged fraud against the people of this country, were indisputably overt and volunteers”.
Donald Trump: What Is the 14th Amendment?
Ratified after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment states that officials who swear an oath to support the Constitution cannot hold future office if they “engage in an insurrection.” However, the wording of the amendment is vague as it does not explicitly mention the presidency and has only been applied twice since 1919. The key episode for Trump was the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
All seven Colorado Supreme Court justices were appointed by Democratic governors (Donald Trump’s rival party). Six of the seven subsequently won statewide retention elections to remain in office. The seventh was appointed in 2021 and has not yet faced voters.
What’s Next for Donald Trump?
Donald Trump‘s campaign announced Tuesday that it will “promptly file an appeal” of the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision. It is important to note that the decision in Colorado does not prevent Trump from participating in the 2024 presidential election, since the scope of the verdict is merely at the state level.
“The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will quickly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a simultaneous request to stay this deeply undemocratic decision. “We have every confidence that the United States Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these un-American lawsuits,” Donald Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.
This story was written in Spanish by Miguel Fernandez in Cultura Colectiva News
