WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump begged the U.S. Supreme Court to allow him to remain on the Colorado ballot for the 2024 Republican primary as he attempts to overturn a state ruling that found him ineligible.
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Dec. 19 that the Constitution’s 14th Amendment states “an officer of the United States” who “engaged in insurrection” from running for federal office.
Trump’s lawyers filed a brief on Thursday, detailing their position and why they oppose the ruling, saying a president is not an “officer of the United States” while claiming that Trump did not “engage in insurrection”.
“The court should put a swift and decisive end to these ballot-disqualification efforts, which threaten to disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans and which promise to unleash chaos and bedlam if other state courts and state officials follow Colorado’s lead and exclude the likely Republican presidential nominee from their ballots,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.
The ruling, which focuses on section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, is the first of its kind in the United States.
“A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the Colorado ruling said. “Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot.”
The court wrote in its opinion that Secretary of State Jena Griswold “may not list President Trump’s name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot, nor may she count any write-in votes cast for him.”
Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, blasted the decision in a statement.
“Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing group’s scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trump’s name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice,” Cheung said in a statement.
Trump discussed the Supreme Court case during an interview that aired Thursday night on Fox News with Sean Hannity.
“We put on three great justices, and you have some other great justices up there, and they’re not going to take the vote away from the people,” Trump said.
