(Dan Tri) – The Colorado Supreme Court has just removed former President Donald Trump’s name from the state’s 2024 presidential ballot because of his role in the riot on January 6, 2021.
The Colorado Supreme Court removed Mr. Trump’s name from the state’s 2024 presidential ballot because of his role in the riot on January 6, 2021 (Photo: AFP).
The above ruling makes Mr. Trump the first presidential candidate in US history to be considered ineligible for the White House under a rarely activated clause in the US Constitution.
Specifically, this clause belongs to the 14th Amendment, which prohibits officials who have participated in `insurrection or rebellion` from holding office.
The Colorado Supreme Court concluded that the US Constitution prohibits Mr. Trump – who is leading the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 – from appearing on the ballot for his role in inciting violence against the US government.
This ruling only applies to the Republican primary election on March 5 in Colorado, but may also affect Mr. Trump’s qualifications in the national general election on November 5.
Colorado is considered a safe Democratic state by some neutral US election forecasters.
The lawsuit was brought by a group of Colorado voters with support from Washington-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.
Mr. Trump will likely appeal to the US Supreme Court.
This decision is a victory for anti-Trump campaign groups and voters.
The December 19 ruling reversed the lower court’s decision.
The lower court agreed that Mr. Trump participated in the insurrection by inciting his supporters to commit violence.
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump’s lawyer argued that the Capitol riot was not serious enough to be considered an insurrection.
Since then, Mr. Trump’s lawyer has argued that the court does not have the authority to order his name to be removed from the ballot.
Activists in the US hope to use the Colorado case to create a push for other disqualification lawsuits targeting Mr. Trump, as well as bringing the issue before the US Supreme Court.
Among the group of conservative judges with a 6-3 majority on the US Supreme Court, there are currently 3 people appointed by Mr. Trump.
