Lawsuit based on Article 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution prohibiting those who participated in the constitutional rebellion from holding public office
Judge rejects the ruling saying it does not apply to the president
Plaintiff announces appeal to state Supreme Court… Experts say, “We will go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court”
The BBC reported on the 17th (local time) that U.S. Colorado State Court Judge Sarah Wallace rejected an attempt to bar former President Donald Trump from running in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. This brings to an end a landmark lawsuit that argued that former President Trump was ineligible to take office again as President of the United States because his actions led to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Previously, three other similar lawsuits based on constitutional amendments made during the American Civil War in New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Michigan all lost.
Former President Trump dismissed this attempt and did not even appear at the trial.
With this ruling on the 17th, Judge Wallace requested the Colorado Secretary of State to allow former President Trump to run in next year’s primary election.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states that ‘any person who, after taking an oath to defend the Constitution, participates in an insurrection against the Constitution is prohibited from holding public office.’ Colorado voters filed a lawsuit last September, saying the amendment should apply to former President Trump, who was involved in the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.
Judge Wallace, however, dismissed the clause, saying it could not be applied to the president because the president’s position was not specified in the clause. “After considering arguments on both sides, the court ‘convinced that officials of the United States do not include the President,’” the decision said.
The ruling is the latest setback to efforts to disqualify President Trump from the Republican primary.
Judge Wallace, however, said that it was true that former President Trump incited the insurrection on January 6, 2021, and that Trump’s speech could not be protected under the First Amendment.
The left-leaning Citizens Coalition for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which filed the lawsuit, said it would appeal to the Colorado Supreme Court.
Legal experts also believe that this case is likely to be referred to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.