(UnitedVoice.com) – Former President Donald Trump is still dealing with the fallout from the riot on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. He spoke at the “Stop the Steal” rally that morning and encouraged thousands of his supporters to fight for their country. Later that day, when some of those supporters had descended on Congress to stop the certification of the election, he asked them to stay peaceful. When they didn’t, he told them to go home. Democrats and 10 Republicans impeached him over the activity that day, but the Senate acquitted him. That didn’t matter to Democrats.
Three years later, the Colorado Supreme Court has barred the former president from appearing on the primary ballot. The decision has caused outrage in the GOP, including from one of Trump’s former friends and current primary rivals.
Colorado Court Ruling
On December 19, the Colorado Supreme Court issued a historic ruling barring Trump from the 2024 primary ballot. In a 4-3 ruling, the justices concluded that the former president engaged in an insurrection when he gave the speech on January 6. Therefore, he was banned from the ballot under the 14th Amendment.
In an unsigned 213-page decision, the justices cited the amendment’s Disqualification Clause that was enacted after the Civil War. It states that a public official who has participated in an insurrection is disqualified from holding office again. The justices said they didn’t “reach these conclusions lightly” and knew the “magnitude and weight of the questions” before them. The high court stated they also understood that it was their “solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction” to their decision.
The decision was the first time in history that a state Supreme Court has disqualified a candidate under the Civil War-era clause. Michigan and Minnesota dismissed similar claims against the former president.
Christie Disagrees
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) had a falling out with Trump after he almost died in 2020 after the former president allegedly got him sick. He’s regularly spoken out against the 45th president in the years since. He has now objected to the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling.
Breitbart reported that Christie spoke to supporters the day the Colorado ruling was made public and said that he thinks the voters should decide who wins. He told the crowd that Trump shouldn’t “be prevented from being [POTUS] by any court.” He said the voters should be the ones who prevent him from taking office again.
The former governor explained that he thinks “it’s bad for the country if” the courts keep Trump off of the ballot. He said that for the 14th Amendment to be applicable, the former president would have had to incite and participate in insurrection, and no court has found him guilty of that.
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