Colorado Supreme Court disqualifies Trump from ballot

Washington (ST) – Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that Donald Trump is disqualified from serving as U.S. president and cannot appear on the primary ballot in Colorado because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.

Reuters reported that this ruling makes Trump the first presidential candidate deemed ineligible for the White House under a rarely used constitutional provision that bars officials who have engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” from holding office.

The ruling applies only to Colorado’s March 5 Republican primary but it could affect Trump’s status in the state for the Nov. 5 general election.

A group of Colorado voters argued that Trump should be disqualified for inciting his supporters to attack the Capitol in a failed attempt to obstruct the transfer of presidential power to Biden after the 2020 election.

Trump’s campaign called the court decision “undemocratic”, while Trump’s lawyers argued that his speech to supporters on the day of the riot was protected by his right to free speech.

Najla Khoury