Colorado Supreme Court Removes Trump From Presidential Ballot, Leading To Intense Discussion Online

Last night, the Supreme Court of Colorado ruled that Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the state's 2024 Presidential Ballot, citing Section 3 for the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution which says, "No person shall … hold any office, civil or military, under the United States … who, having previously taken an oath … as an officer of the United States, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."

The ruling deems Trump responsible for the January 6th, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol and deems it an insurrection against the United States.

The court's 4-3 majority wrote, "We do not reach these conclusions lightly. We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach." The ruling was put in place following the Civil War and was initially intended to prevent former Confederate officials from holding office.

The case made its way to the state Supreme Court after a district court in Colorado ruled that while Trump had engaged in an insurrection, the language of the amendment was unclear on if the President counted as "an officer of the United States," thus the district court ruled to keep Trump on the ballot. The decision was appealed, and the case, filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington on behalf of six Republican and unaffiliated voters in the state, made it to the Supreme Court, which ruled that Trump did count as an "officer of the United States."

The dissenting court members noted that Trump has not been convicted of an insurrection yet, though he is currently on trial in Georgia for attempting to overturn that state's election results. Trump's lawyers have promised to appeal the ruling to the United States Supreme Court, where Republican commentators seem bullish on Trump's chances to have the decision overturned by the majority-Republican SCOTUS.

Still, while Colorado is not a must-win state for Trump — he lost there in the 2020 Election by 13 points — some have noted the Colorado decision may have ripple effects across the country. AP News notes that similar cases are making their way through Minnesota, Michigan and Oregon's courts.

Naturally, the ruling led to strong opinions across party lines online, as Democrats cheered the ruling and Republicans voiced anger.