California and Maine want to follow Colorado’s ruling and ban former President Trump from their respective state ballots in 2024.
The Daily Fetched reported earlier this week that the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified Trump from appearing on the state’s ballots in 2024.
Fox News reported that the disqualification, made under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, relates to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
Tuesday’s 4-3 ruling is stayed until January 4 because of likely appeals. Three justices on the Colorado Supreme Court dissented.
“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the court’s majority wrote.
“We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows is reprotley seeking options on whether or not to exclude Trump from her state’s primary ballot in March.
“The challengers have the burden of providing sufficient evidence to invalidate the petition,” Bellows’s office said last week.
“At the hearing there will be an opportunity for both the challengers and the candidate to present oral testimony of witnesses as well as additional documentary evidence, and to make oral argument pertaining to the challenge in light of that evidence.”
The complaint claims Trump “engaged in insurrection” on January 6 and is “now ineligible to hold any office, civil or military, under the United States.”
“Trump is not eligible to hold the office of President of the United States, his declaration is false, and his consent and primary petitions are void,” it added.
“Despite knowing the risk of violence and that the crowd was angry and armed, Trump incited violence [in a pre-insurrection speech] both explicitly and implicitly,” the Maine complaint said.
“He repeatedly called out [then-Vice President Mike] Pence, told the crowd to ‘fight like hell’ and used other variations of ‘fight’ 20 times, repeatedly insisted that ‘we’ (including the agitated crowd) could not let the certification [of Joe Biden’s victory] happen, and promised that he would march with them to the Capitol.”
Trump’s legal team argued that he called for protesters to “peacefully and patriotically” let their voices be heard.
Meanwhile, in California, Gov. Eleni Kounalakis sent Secretary of State Shirley Weber a letter to explore options for banning Trump from the ballot.
As Breitbart reported, Kounalakis cited the Colorado ruling, saying it “is about honoring the rule of law in our country and protecting the fundamental pillars of our democracy.”
She added that the court’s decision “can be the basis for a similar decision here in our state. The constitution is clear: you must be 35 years old and not be an insurrectionist.”
“California must stand on the right side of history,” the letter said.
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