The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday barred Donald Trump from participating in the state’s primary elections after finding that the former president was involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, invasion of the Capitol.
It was the first time a court had prevented a presidential candidate from running in an election, under a provision in the 1868 constitution that bars radicals from holding office. The decision comes as courts in other states are considering similar cases.
The decision must be appealed to the United States Supreme Court. Legal experts say only the nation’s highest court can resolve the issue, clarifying whether the Jan. 6, 2021 invasion of the Capitol constituted an insurrection and whether Trump is barred from running for office.
“The majority of the court finds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Article 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,” the Colorado Supreme Court ruling said. “Because he was disqualified, it would be an illegal act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate for the presidential primary,” he added.
After a weeklong trial in which Denver Judge Sarah B. Wallace ruled in November that Trump had been involved in the protest but could run for election because she understood that Section 3 did not apply to presidential candidates, six Republican and independent Colorado candidate voters filed an appeal.
In separate cases, the Minnesota Supreme Court and an appeals court in Michigan refused to remove Trump’s name from the primaries in those states.
Source: DN
