Scott Gessler, attorney for former President Donald Trump, smiles during a break at the closing arguments in a hearing for a lawsuit to keep Trump off the state ballot, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, Pool)
DENVER (AP) – A Colorado judge on Friday rejected an effort to keep former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state’s primary ballot, the latest blow to groups seeking to block his run for another term using a Civil War-era Constitutional amendment that prevents anyone who “engaged in insurrection” from holding office.
The lawsuit, brought by a left-leaning group on behalf of a group of Republican and independent Colorado voters, contended that Trump’s actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol ran afoul of the 14th Amendment.
The decision by District Judge Sarah B. Wallace is the third ruling in a little over a week against lawsuits seeking to knock Trump off the ballot by citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The Minnesota Supreme Court last week said Trump could remain on the primary ballot because political parties have sole choice over who appears, while a Michigan judge ruled that Congress is the proper forum for deciding whether Section 3 applies to Trump.
In her decision, Wallace said she found that the clause did not apply to Trump.
