Former President Donald Trump will once again appear on the 2024 primary ballot in Colorado following a Republican appeal to the United States Supreme Court.
The reluctant decision from Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, which halts a previous decision from the state Supreme Court, will allow Trump to participate in the state primary unless the high court affirms the decision to remove him.
As Valuetainment previously reported, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in favor of barring former President Trump from the state’s ballot given his alleged role in the January 6 Capitol riot. Citing the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment, the Colorado justices deemed Trump constitutionally ineligible to hold office, preventing him from being considered as either a listed candidate or a write-in option.
Learn the benefits of becoming a Valuetainment Member and subscribe today!
The unprecedented decision was stayed until January 4 to allow time for appeals, and the Colorado Republican Party pledged to do so (and even threatened to withdraw from the primary in favor of a pure caucus system).
On Wednesday night, the GOP filed an official appeal asking the US Supreme Court to review the decision. According to the petition, the ruling “poses a severe, immediate, and ongoing threat to the First Amendment associational rights of the Colorado Republican Party and, indeed, the electoral process throughout the country.”
Related: Republicans Respond to Trump’s Removal from Colorado Ballot
Less than 24 hours after the appeal was sent, Colorado’s Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold opted to return Trump’s name to the ballot before the January 5 deadline, contingent on the Supreme Court either upholding the lower court’s ruling or declining to hear the case.
However, Griswold made it clear that she is less than pleased with the development.
“Donald Trump engaged in insurrection and was disqualified under the Constitution from the Colorado Ballot,” she said in a press conference. “The Colorado Supreme Court got it right. This decision is now being appealed. I urge the U.S. Supreme Court to act quickly given the upcoming presidential primary election.”
Additional 14th Amendment challenges to Trump’s candidacy have been launched across the country, including several in Texas, Nevada, Wisconsin, and other states. Most recently, the Michigan Supreme Court rejected an effort to remove Trump from the state ballot, citing a lack of “analogous provision” comparable to the Colorado case.
The Colorado Republican Party has asked the US Supreme Court to fast-track its decision to resolve the case before Super Tuesday, which falls on March 5, 2024.
Add comment