READ: Colorado Supreme Court's ruling barring Donald Trump from ballot – Atlanta News First
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A divided Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday declared former President Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause and removed him from the state’s presidential primary ballot.
The decision from a court whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.
Here is the court’s ruling:
Colorado Supreme Court ruling by Lindsey Basye on Scribd
The court stayed its decision until Jan. 4, or until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on the case. Colorado officials said the issue must be settled by Jan. 5, the deadline for the state to print its presidential primary ballots.
Trump’s attorneys had promised to appeal any disqualification immediately to the nation’s highest court, which has the final say about constitutional matters.
“This ruling, issued by the Colorado Supreme Court, attacks the very heart of this nation’s democracy,” Trump’s legal spokeswoman Alina Habba said. “It will not stand, and we trust that the Supreme Court will reverse this unconstitutional order.”
Trump is facing 91 felony counts in four criminal cases in Washington, New York, Florida and Georgia and could potentially be looking at years in prison if convicted.
Trump is charged alongside others — including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows — with violating the state’s anti-racketeering law by scheming to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss.
The indictment, handed up in August, accuses Trump or his allies of suggesting Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, could find enough votes for him to win the battleground state; harassing an election worker who faced false claims of fraud; and attempting to persuade Georgia lawmakers to ignore the will of voters and appoint a new slate of Electoral College electors favorable to Trump.
Four of the original 19 co-defendants have reached plea deals with Fulton County prosecutors: Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Scott Hall and Kenneth Chesebro.
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