Last Updated on November 27, 2023
Amid political and social tension, the 2024 presidential elections approach. Former President Donald Trump leads President Biden in almost every recent poll. However, the 45th president is contending with far-left ideologues that seek to keep him off the ballot.
On Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court said it would take Trump’s case on whether he should be barred from the ballot under the 14th Amendment, reported The Hill.
A lower court ruled that Trump participated in insurrection by allegedly inciting the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. However, the constitutional prohibition for holding office after a so-called “insurrection or rebellion” does not apply to the executive branch, according to the report.
Both Trump and his opposition are warring through appeals against the decision. Trump agreed with remaining on the state ballot but cited other issues. His attorneys told The Hill:
… The district court nonetheless made legal and factual findings wholly unsupported in the law, and these errors demand reviews—especially if the Petitioners in this matter also seek review of the sole dispositive issue upon which President Trump prevailed.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a liberal NGO, filed the suit against Trump for two independent and four republican Colorado voters, reported The Hill.
The 14th Amendment limits a person from holding “any office … under the United States” if they have been involved with an insurrection after taking the oath as “an officer of the United States” supporting the rule of law.
Furthermore, the 14th Amendment specifically omits the president and vice president from its list of federally-elected positions within the jurisdiction of this law. District Judge Sarah Wallace stated Trump was never an “officer of the United States” after citing the differences between the presidency and other federal officials. She also ruled the language of the amendment cannot be used to prevent the former president from being on the ballot, regardless of his actions on January 6.
CREW argued that “Section 3 of the 14th Amendment … excludes from federal or state office those who engaged in insurrection against the Constitution after previously taking an oath to support it.”
Related: Poll: Trump Leads Biden Among 18 to 34-Year-Olds
This is one of many unsuccessful attempts by liberal and leftist activist groups attempting to bar Trump from the ballot. Last week, Michigan appealed the case to its top court, which had already dismissed another 14th Amendment case earlier in November.
The AP reported that Court of Claims Judge James Redford rejected Trump’s role in the attack on the capitol, allowing him to remain on the ballot. Still, other appeals are likely to follow as the liberal group involved in the original appeal, Free Speech For People, plans to expedite any further actions.
