Former President Donald Trump should not be on the ballot in the US state of Colorado in the 2024 elections. The Colorado Supreme Court ruled this on Tuesday. According to the court, Trump has “disqualified” himself from the American presidency due to his role in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
According to Reuters, Trump is the first presidential candidate in American history to be deemed “unelectable” for the White House based on a rarely used constitutional article that prohibits officials involved in “insurrection” or “rebellion” from holding office.
Also read
The realization that no one will catch up with absent Donald Trump seems to have dawned on the second Republican debate
Tuesday’s ruling only concerns the Republican primaries on March 5 next year, but the court is expected to also ban Trump from the ballot in the final presidential elections on November 5 if he actually becomes the Republican candidate.
Trump appeals
Trump’s campaign team calls the ruling “undemocratic” and has already announced that it will appeal to the US Supreme Court. This has a majority of six conservative judges versus three liberal ones. Three of the conservative justices were appointed by Trump himself.
The case was brought by a group of Colorado voters backed by the Washington organization Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics. Chairman Noah Bookbinder of that organization called the ruling to Reuters “not only historic and fair, but also necessary to safeguard the future of democracy in the US.”
Colorado has a clear majority of Democratic voters, so regardless of Trump’s fate, it will most likely go to Joe Biden.
Reading list