Colorado Supreme Court will hear Trump appeal, clarify insurrection ruling
The Colorado Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals from both a liberal group and former President Donald Trump after a state judge ruled that Trump's alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection does not disqualify him from appearing on the state's ballot.
Oral arguments for the appeals will take place on Dec. 6, giving both sides the opportunity to make their case. This comes after District Court Judge Sarah Wallace's ruling on Friday, in which she stated that Trump was not covered by the Constitution's ban on insurrectionists holding office.
The constitutional provision has only been used a handful of times since the years after the Civil War. It was created to prevent former Confederates from returning to government positions.
But the fight is far from over, as a group in Michigan has also filed an appeal with their state's Supreme Court. This legal battle centers around Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which was created after the Civil War to prevent former Confederates from holding government positions.
The group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, acting on behalf of a group of Republican and unaffiliated Colorado voters, argued that Wallace's ruling was incorrect, as it is not explicitly stated in the provision that it applies to the presidency.
In their appeal, they point out the absurdity of allowing low-level government workers who participated in the insurrection to be banned from holding office, but not the president who allegedly led it. They also question whether a state court judge, like Wallace, should have the power to make such a decision instead of Congress.
Trump, on the other hand, has appealed Wallace's finding that he did engage in insurrection and has criticized the lawsuits as "election interference" by Democratic "dark money" groups. He has also questioned the timing of the legal battle, as Colorado officials are under pressure to make a final decision on the primary ballot by Jan. 5.
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The case will be heard by all seven justices on the state's Supreme Court, all of whom were appointed by Democrats. And if the ruling is still not satisfactory, the next step would be to take it to the U.S. Supreme Court - a first for an issue involving Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
"This is a crucial moment for our democracy," said a spokesperson for Trump's legal team. "We will continue to fight back against these baseless attempts to keep former President Trump off the ballot."