WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, the Colorado Supreme Court decided to bar former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state’s 2024 primary ballot.
In the 4-3 ruling from yesterday, the court’s majority said that the 2024 Republican frontrunner was “engaged in” the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and therefore cannot run because of the 14th Amendment’s insurrectionist ban.
This decision will more than likely be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States which has a conservative majority, unlike Colorado’s.
“We all know this has to go to the Supreme Court. So, I wasn’t surprised,” said Dr. Jeffrey Bloodworth, Professor at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Trump has yet to be found guilty in a court of law of inciting or engaging in the insurrection, and for that reason, some experts say there should be a concrete verdict before invoking the fourteenth amendment.
“There has been no legal case in which we say Donald Trump was behind January 6th. If a jury finds him guilty, then you could invoke the 14th Amendment,” said Bloodworth.
“Right now, it’s just kind of like people saying that he’s an insurrectionist. There needs to be some kind of legal ruling that says this particular body has deemed him to be an insurrectionist. If then, I think the 14th Amendment carries some kind of legal merit to it,” said Bloodworth.
The big case many experts are watching closely is Trump’s federal election subversion case.
“The 14th Amendment in disqualifying Trump for running for office, is somewhat dependent on what this Washington, D.C. jury finds,” said Bloodworth.
The judge in that case had set a trial date for March 4, but that is now on hold as the Washington, D.C. U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals considers whether Trump is immune and can even be tried.
