The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday declared former president Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the US Constitution’s insurrection clause and removed him from the state’s presidential primary ballot.
The decision sets up a probable showdown in the nation’s highest court to decide whether the front-runner for the Republican nomination can remain in the race.
The decision from a court whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.
“A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment,” the court wrote in its 4-3 decision.
Colorado’s highest court overturned a ruling from a district court judge who found that Mr Trump had incited an insurrection for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but said he could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear that the provision was intended to cover the presidency.
The court stayed its decision until January 4, or until the US Supreme Court rules on the case.
“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” wrote the court’s majority. “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 favour, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.”
Mr Trump’s lawyers had promised to appeal any disqualification immediately to the nation's highest court, which has the final say about constitutional matters. His campaign said it was working on a response to the ruling.
The former president lost Colorado by 13 percentage points in 2020 and does not need the state to win next year’s presidential election, but the danger for Mr Trump is that more courts and election officials will follow Colorado’s lead and exclude Trump from must-win states.
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