A judge in Colorado has dismissed a lawsuit aiming to exclude former President Donald Trump from the state's 2024 Republican presidential primary. The case, centered on Trump's involvement
in the 2021 Capitol riot, sought to bar him from future office under Section three of the 14th Amendment.
District Judge Sarah Wallace's ruling mandates Trump's inclusion on Colorado's primary ballot, determining that the 14th Amendment's insurrection provision does not explicitly cover presidents. Wallace asserted that the amendment's wording didn't intend to encompass a president who had only taken the presidential oath.
While the judge acknowledged Trump's involvement in the Capitol insurrection through incitement, she clarified that the First Amendment didn't shield Trump's speech. This decision adds to previous failed attempts in other states, including New Hampshire, Minnesota, and Michigan, to disqualify Trump from Republican primary ballots.
The group behind the Colorado lawsuit, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, announced intentions to appeal the ruling to the Colorado Supreme Court. They emphasized the significance of the case in addressing Trump's alleged engagement in insurrection on January 6, 2021.
The lawsuit involved a week-long bench trial, presenting arguments that Trump's role in the Capitol riots should disqualify him from future presidential candidacy. Trump's lawyers contended that he wasn't accountable for the attacks and cited previous unsuccessful legal challenges against him.
The 14th Amendment's Section 3, historically used to prevent secessionists from holding government positions after the Civil War, has seen limited application. Its recent use against Trump stems from allegations of election subversion, raising questions about future legal challenges ahead of the Republican primary and general election. Experts speculate that this case or a similar one may eventually reach the US Supreme Court. Photo by Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia commons.