The justices of the Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday to exclude former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential election.
Four justices led the historic decision, later igniting a massive debate about legal standards and democratic principles.
The “lawsuits challenging Trump’s candidacy have been filed in more than 25 states ahead of the 2024 election,” CBS reported.
Regarding the case in Colorado, they argued that Trump should be disqualified from the ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment after allegations of insurrection from the January 6 riot in 2021.
While the Court’s ruling noted that while Trump engaged in alleged “insurrection,” the Amendment does not apply to presidential candidates.
However, the Supreme Court saw things differently.
Democrat judge Sarah Wallace rejected the challenge last month.
In her ruling, Wallace wrote:
“While the Court agrees that there are persuasive arguments on both sides, the Court holds that the absence of the President from the list of positions to which the Amendment applies combined with the fact that Section Three specifies that the disqualifying oath is one to “support” the Constitution whereas the Presidential oath is to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution, it appears to the Court that for whatever reason the drafters of Section Three did not intend to include a person who had only taken the Presidential Oath.”
Wallace concluded:
“Pursuant to the above, the Court ORDERS the Secretary of State to place Donald J. Trump on the presidential primary ballot when it certifies the ballot on January 5, 2024.”
In early December, the legal challenge to block Trump from the 2024 ballot headed to the state’s supreme Court. This week, four justices of the Colorado Supreme Court voted in favor of barring Trump from the state’s 2024 presidential ballot.
As per the ruling:
“In this appeal from a district court proceeding under the Colorado Election Code, the supreme court considers whether former President Donald J. Trump may appear on the Colorado Republican presidential primary ballot in 2024.”
It continued:
“A majority of the Court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot. The Court stays its ruling until January 4, 2024, subject to any further appellate proceedings.”
Unsurprisingly, all of the current justices on the Colorado Supreme Court were appointed by Democratic governors.
Per The Gateway Pundit, the current justices and their appointing governors are:
Justice Carlos Armando Samour Jr. (appointed by Bill Ritter in 2010)
Justice Monica M. Márquez (appointed by Governor Bill Ritter, Jr in 2010)
Chief Justice Brian Boatright (appointed by John Hickenlooper in 2011)
Justice William W. Hood, III (appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper in 2014)
Justice Richard L. Gabriel (appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper in 2015)
Justice Melissa Hart (appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper in 2017)
Justice Maria E. Berkenkotter (appointed by Jared Polis in 2021)
Below are the four justices who voted to exclude Trump from holding the office of President under Section Three:
Justice Monica M. Márquez (appointed by Governor Bill Ritter, Jr in 2010)
Justice Melissa Hart (appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper in 2017)
Justice William W. Hood, III (appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper in 2014)
Justice Richard L. Gabriel (appointed by Governor John Hickenlooper in 2015)
READ: Ramaswamy Vows to ‘Withdraw’ from Colorado Ballot after Trump Removal
