Donald Trump has been given the green light to remain on the state’s presidential primary ballot. On Friday, judge Sarah Wallace ruled this despite allegations that the ex-president did not violate his oath of office despite finding that he incited political violence during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
Trump on the ballot
As the election season in the US unfolds, Donald Trump, as per AFP, is yet to be removed from a single ballot.
The Colorado Judge’s decision comes after similar rulings in several other states — including Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire.
Wallace on Friday acknowledged Donald Trump’s role in inciting supporters who stormed the US Capitol to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory.
Citing Section 3, she concluded “that Trump acted with the specific intent to incite political violence and direct it at the Capitol to halt the transfer of power to Biden.”
What is section 3?
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of US constitution bars individuals from holding public office if they engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” after pledging to support the Constitution.
Recognising the ambiguity of the 14th Amendment’s language, Judge Wallace said that “it appears to the court that for whatever reason the drafters of Section Three did not intend to include a person who had only taken the Presidential Oath”.
In Colorado, the lawsuit against Trump, as per AFP, was filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW), a watchdog group based in Washington. It sought to prevent Trump from running for the presidency again.
Celebrating the Colorado court’s decision, the Trump campaign hailed it as “another nail in the coffin of the un-American ballot challenges.”
Donald Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung, in a statement, announced victoriously, “Challenges have now been defeated in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and New Hampshire.”
While Trump has secured a victory in Colorado, similar legal challenges in other states can still potentially elevate the issue to the US Supreme Court.
(With inputs from agencies)
