Source: Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images / Getty
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Donald Trump is disqualified from the Republican ballot for 2024 due to engaging in insurrection, prompting many online responses.
In a striking decision, Donald Trump was disqualified from holding political office again by the top court of Colorado on Tuesday (December 19) due to his engaging in actions that led to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The decision means that the former president is ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot for the upcoming 2024 Republican primary elections for president. It also rules that voters cannot write Trump’s name in on that ballot.
“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the four-justice majority wrote in the decision. “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 majority decision cited Section 3 of the 14th Amendment which disqualifies anyone engaging in insurrection against the Constitution. The three remaining justices dissented.
The monumental decision does not apply to the presidential ballot, but it has major ramifications for Trump’s current campaign. Representatives for Trump said that they would immediately appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, setting the stage for a decision that could not only impact the upcoming presidential election but other cases set before them such as whether he is immune from criminal prosecution for actions he committed while in office including his alleged involvement in the January 6 insurrection. The Colorado Supreme Court did state that they would uphold the decision until January 4 next year for the
The reactions to the ruling online ranged from observers and experts applauding the decision to those showing skepticism over the conservative-dominated Supreme Court’s majority (with three justices nominated by Trump during his term) upholding the Colorado court’s ruling. One Republican candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, issued a video stating that he would withdraw his name from the state’s GOP primary ballot in protest and demanded that Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis do the same in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary ballot until Trump is also allowed to be on the ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley do the same immediately – or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous… pic.twitter.com/qbpNf9L3ln
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) December 20, 2023
We’ve collected some of the responses from social media below.