Donald Trump disqualified from 2024 ballot in Colorado, says court
As reported by Bloomberg, the ruling was issued on Tuesday, but its implementation has been temporarily suspended to permit Trump to appeal to the US Supreme Court.
Donald Trump‘s campaign has stated its intention to appeal, with a deadline of January 4 according to the state court’s decision.
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Bloomberg reported that the focus of the legal proceedings revolves around a post-Civil War-era section of the US Constitution prohibiting insurrectionists from holding public office.
“President Trump’s direct and express efforts, over several months, exhorting his supporters to march to the Capitol to prevent what he falsely characterized as an alleged fraud on the people of this country were indisputably overt and voluntary,” according to the ruling.
The Colorado case marks the inaugural constitutional challenge to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential candidacy that has reached trial, specifically addressing his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which included urging supporters to assault the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
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The court said, “Moreover, the evidence amply showed that President Trump undertook all these actions to aid and further a common unlawful purpose that he himself conceived and set in motion: prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election and stop the peaceful transfer of power.”
According to a statement from his campaign, Donald Trump intends to promptly appeal to the US Supreme Court and request a stay to prevent the ruling from being enforced.
According to the statement, “Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls,” adding, “They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November.”
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Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, an advocacy group representing voters, contended that Donald Trump should be disqualified from the ballot due to his role in inciting the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
“The court’s decision today affirms what our clients alleged in this lawsuit: that Donald Trump is an insurrectionist who disqualified himself from office,” Noah Bookbinder, president of CREW, said in a statement. “Our Constitution clearly states that those who violate their oath by attacking our democracy are barred from serving in government.”
Bloomberg reported that throughout the year, Donald Trump has been confronted with numerous lawsuits nationwide asserting that he is not qualified for another term as President, citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
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The provision states that a person who took an oath to support the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” is ineligible to hold office again.
While Republicans have achieved success in certain aspects of Colorado’s political landscape, the state currently has Democratic governors, both US senators are Democrats, and a majority of its House delegation belongs to the Democratic Party.
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In recent presidential elections, Joe Biden secured victory in Colorado in 2020, and in 2016, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, also emerged victorious in the state.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
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Published: 20 Dec 2023, 06:11 AM IST
