The Supreme Court of the US state of Colorado has excluded former President Trump from the 2024 primaries there. The judges cited Trump’s role in the storming of the US Capitol as justification. Trump is disqualified for office.
It is a ruling with potentially enormous consequences: According to the Colorado Supreme Court, former US President Donald Trump must be barred from running for the White House in the state.
The Republican’s behavior in connection with the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 disqualified himself from the office of president, according to the court’s decision published on Tuesday evening (local time). This means that his name should not appear on the ballot papers for his party’s primaries.
Trump’s campaign team called the court’s decision “flawed” and “undemocratic” and announced an appeal to the Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court has a six-to-three conservative majority, including three members appointed by Trump.
Plaintiffs want to remove Trump’s name from ballot papers
The background is that various plaintiffs in various US states are trying to remove Trump’s name from ballot papers for the 2024 presidential election. The 77-year-old wants to move into the White House again for the Republicans.
His opponents argue with the 14th Amendment. The so-called ban on insurrection states that no one is allowed to hold a higher office in the state if they have previously taken part in an uprising against the state as a public official. Although some examples of such higher offices are given in the passage, the office of president is not explicitly mentioned.
Trump supporters stormed the parliament building in Washington on January 6, 2021. Congress met there to formally confirm Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election. Trump had previously incited his supporters during a speech. As a result of the riots, five people died.
Decision suspended for the time being
The court in Colorado has now ruled that Trump’s name should not appear on the ballot papers for the primary elections in the state and that he is barred from holding office as president. However, the court suspended its decision until shortly before the ballots were printed in early January or until possible clarification by the Supreme Court.
The plaintiffs against Trump had already failed in states such as Michigan and Minnesota – the Republican was also able to initially record a victory in a lower court in Colorado. However, the judge wrote back then: “The Court concludes that Trump acted with the specific intent to incite political violence and direct it against the Capitol in order to disrupt the certification of the election results.”
However, the judge concluded that the clause in the Constitution explicitly does not refer to the presidency – and Trump can therefore remain on the ballot for the Republican primary in Colorado. The Supreme Court there now saw things differently.
Possibly a judgment with a signal effect
Trump is the first possible presidential candidate in US history to be declared ineligible due to a rarely used provision of the US Constitution.
The Colorado case was brought by a group of Colorado voters with support from the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). CREW President Noah Bookbinder said the court’s decision was “not only historic and justified, but also necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country.”
Although the ruling only applies to the Republican primary on March 5, it could also have an impact on Trump’s situation in the general election on November 5. Impartial US election researchers see Colorado firmly in Democratic hands, but courts in other states could follow the ruling.
The right-wing populist is the overwhelming favorite in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and is leading polls by a large margin.
Julia Kastein, ARD Washington, tagesschau, December 20, 2023 11:39 a.m