News bit: Colorado court boots DJT off the ballot for insurrection



Colorado’s highest court Thursday knocked former President Trump off the state’s Republican primary ballot under the 14th Amendment in a 4-3 ruling, making it the first state to block him from seeking the presidency because of his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

In a major legal blow to Trump, the court affirmed he engaged in insurrection by inflaming his supporters with false claims of election fraud and directing them to the Capitol — preventing him from a second White House term under the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection clause.”

The court put its ruling on hold until Jan. 4, so Trump can first seek review from the Supreme Court. If he does, Trump’s name automatically remains on the ballot until the justices resolve the appeal.

“We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the court wrote in a 4-3 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.”
That was unexpected, to me at least. DJT's attorneys criticized the ruling and said they will immediately appeal this to the USSC. The USSC will probably decide (~90% chance?) that the 14th Amendment insurrection clause does not apply to the president. That is because the president is not one of the people listed as under the insurrection clause. And maybe another reason(s) I'm unaware of can be used to protect him. The six authoritarian radical republicans on the court will probably use whatever ambiguity there is to let DJT off the hook.



By Germaine: A simple soul living in complicated, weird, interesting times

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