It was a ruling no one saw coming, and now it’s official: former President Donald Trump is barred from the 2024 Colorado primaries. On April 6th, 2021, The Colorado State Supreme Court upheld a ruling that has made it impossible for Trump to appear on the ballot.
The ruling was based on a lawsuit that had been filed by the Colorado Democratic Party, who objected to the Colorado secretary of state’s intention to add Trump to the 2024 presidential ballot. The party argued that it was illegal for Trump to be included, based on his history of unlawful activity.
The Colorado State Supreme Court agreed. In a 6-1 ruling, the court declared that Trump’s actions leading up to the 2021 insurrection, as well as his failure to accept the presidential election results in November 2020, constituted grounds for his exclusion. The court said that “in light of his acts of sedition, public incitement of violence, and other criminal misconduct, Donald J. Trump is not qualified to appear on the ballot.”
The ruling has been hailed by many as a victory for democracy and an important reminder that the perpetrators of the 2021 insurrection in Washington D.C. must be held accountable for their actions. But the decision has also raised questions as to how other states might respond to Trump’s candidacy in 2024.
Though Trump is now effectively barred from the Colorado primary, it remains to be seen whether other states will follow suit. The ruling does set a precedent, but ultimately, the power to determine who appears on a state’s presidential ballot rests with the members of each states legislative body.
Either way, the ruling is a historic moment and a powerful statement on the state of our democracy. The Colorado Supreme Court has made it clear that no one, not even a former President, is above the law.
