Donald Trump has become the first presidential candidate disqualified from running in an election under an 1868 amendment to the Constitution that bars insurrectionists from seeking office. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled 4-3 Wednesday to remove Trump from the GOP presidential primary ballot in the state, saying he was not eligible because of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, the BBC reports. Last month, a district court judge in the state ruled that Trump had engaged in insurrection by inciting the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack but determined that the amendment didn't apply to presidential candidates.
The court's Tuesday ruling stated Trump is disqualified under the amendment and "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 Washington Post reports. "We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us," the justices wrote. "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."
The court stayed its decision until Jan. 4—or until the US Supreme Court issues a ruling in the case, the AP reports. Colorado will hold its GOP primary on March 5, Super Tuesday. Officials say the deadline to print ballots is Jan. 5. Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung described the decision as "completely flawed." "We will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision," he said. (More Election 2024 stories.)
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