Former President Donald Trump has been barred from running for President of the United States and cannot stand on the primary ballot in Colorado due of his role in his supporters’ January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol, according to the state’s highest court.
Following an unusual application of a constitutional provision barring officials who have engaged in “insurrection,” the Colorado Supreme Court rendered a historic 4-3 verdict that is expected to be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, making Trump the first presidential contender to be declared ineligible for the White House.
The verdict only applies to Colorado’s Republican primary on March 5, but it might have an impact on Trump’s status in the state for the November 5 general election.
According to nonpartisan U.S. election predictors, Colorado is a safe Democratic state, which means that President Joe Biden will likely carry the state regardless of Trump’s destiny there.
Trump threatened to challenge the verdict to the United States Supreme Court, and the Colorado court stated it would postpone the order’s impact until at least January 4, 2024, to allow for an appeal.
The ruling sets the stage for the Supreme Court, whose 6-3 conservative majority includes three Trump appointees, to consider whether Trump is eligible to serve another term as President.
The lawsuit is viewed as a test case for a wider effort to disqualify Trump from state ballots under section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was enacted after the U.S. Civil War to keep supporters of the confederacy from serving in the government.
