Court Excludes Trump from Colorado Primaries, Citing Role in Capitol Attack

Trump is not allowed to participate in primaries in Colorado

The Supreme Court of the US state of Colorado has excluded former President Trump from the 2024 primaries there. The judges cited Trump’s role in the storming of the US Capitol as the reason. Trump has been disqualified for the office.

This is a verdict with potentially enormous consequences: Former US President Donald Trump must be excluded from the race for the White House in the state of Colorado, according to the Supreme Court of Colorado.

The Republican has disqualified himself from the office of president with his behavior in connection with the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, according to the court’s decision published Tuesday night. Therefore, his name may not appear on the ballots for his party’s primaries.

Trump’s campaign team described the court’s decision as “flawed” and “undemocratic” and announced an appeal to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of the United States has a conservative majority of six to three, including three members appointed by Trump.

Plaintiffs want to remove Trump’s name from the ballots

The background to this is that various plaintiffs in different US states are trying to remove Trump’s name from the ballots for the 2024 presidential election. The 77-year-old wants to run for the Republicans again for the White House.

His opponents argue with the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. The so-called Insurrection Clause states that no one can hold a higher office in the state who has previously participated as an official in an insurrection against the state. While the passage mentions some examples of such higher offices, the office of the president is not explicitly listed.

On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters stormed the seat of Parliament in Washington. The Congress had gathered there to formally confirm the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the presidential election. Trump had previously incited his followers in a speech. As a result of the riots, five people were killed.

Decision temporarily suspended

The Colorado court has now decided that Trump’s name may not be on the ballots for the primaries in the state and that he is therefore excluded from the office of president. However, the court suspended its decision until shortly before the printing of the ballots in early January or until possible clarification by the Supreme Court.

In states like Michigan and Minnesota, the plaintiffs against Trump have already failed – the Republican also initially won a victory against them in a lower court in Colorado. However, the judge wrote at the time: “The court concludes that Trump acted with the specific intent to incite political violence and direct it against the Capitol to disrupt the confirmation of the election result.”

However, the judge concluded that the clause in the Constitution does not explicitly refer to the office of the president – and therefore Trump can remain on the ballot for the Republican primaries in Colorado. The Supreme Court there now saw this differently.

Possibly a landmark verdict

This makes Trump the first potential presidential candidate in US history to be declared ineligible for office under a rarely applied provision of the US Constitution.

The case in Colorado was brought by a group of voters from Colorado with the support of the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). Noah Bookbinder, the president of CREW, said the court’s decision was “not only historic and justified but also necessary to protect the future of democracy in our country”.

Although the ruling only applies to the Republican primaries on March 5, it could also have an impact on Trump’s situation in the general elections on November 5. Independent US election researchers see Colorado as firmly in Democratic hands, but courts in other states could follow this verdict.

The right-wing populist is the overwhelming favorite in the race for the Republican presidential nomination and leads polls by a large margin.