Trial coverage
Read more about our Trump 14th Amendment case here.
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Trump was indicted in August by federal prosecutors who allege that his “widespread and destabilizing lies” about the 2020 election “targeted a basic service of the U. S. federal government. “Since announcing last year that he would run for president in 2024, he has maintained a really wide lead over his rivals in the polls for the GOP nomination.
An organization of 14 state Republican parties, led by the Kansas Republican Party, also filed a brief in favor of Trump’s election election. Echoing arguments made through the Colorado Republican Party, which participated alongside Trump in the trial as an intervenor, the states parties argue that Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold only plays a “ministerial” role in certifying the candidates selected by the party in the trial and does not have the strength to exclude Trump unilaterally.
However, lawyers representing Griswold have continued to challenge that claim in filings with the Supreme Court. While Griswold has not taken an official position on Trump’s ineligibility, the secretary of state maintains that under Colorado’s election code, she has a transparent duty to ensure that only eligible applicants are indexed on the ballot.
“The Secretary of State’s number one fear is that Colorado’s courts and election officials will continue to have the authority to ensure ballot integrity,” the Secretary of State’s report said. “Colorado has not abdicated its duty to conduct a fair and accurate election for political reasons. parties. “
The Republican secretaries of state of Ohio, Missouri and Wyoming filed a their own brief arguing Trump was “wrongfully” accused of engaging in an insurrection.
“This is a classic case of judicial abuse, and (the trial judge’s) ruling in this case has no legal basis,” Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said in a statement. “The District Court’s order is based on circumstantial and flimsy evidence to reach an erroneous conclusion, with highly successful implications, either for the president’s legal defense or for the broader democratic procedure of relaxed and fair elections. “
Mary Estill Buchanan, a former Republican secretary of state for Colorado, joined the advocacy organization Colorado Common Cause in an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs’ case, telling the court that “this country and yours are at a crossroads. “
“(Trump) has allowed the lust for strength to update his own oath in the workplace and more than two centuries of American political precedent. Mr. Trump has sought in each and every case to wreak havoc on our nation’s electoral ticket in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. choice,” he said. He doesn’t deserve to have the opportunity to do that in the state of Colorado. “
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by Chase Woodruff, Colorado Newsline December 4, 2023
Trial Coverage
Read more about our Trump 14th Amendment case here.
More than a dozen lawyers from Republican-controlled states lead a long list of parties that have filed briefs in a legal challenge to former President Donald Trump’s constitutional eligibility to run in the 2024 election in Colorado.
The Colorado Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case this week, after a Denver district court ruled on the governed last month opposing six electors who argue that Trump’s role in inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the U. S. Capitol disqualifies him from taking his workplace because of a civil war-era insurrection clause.
Although Judge Sarah B. Wallace ruled that Trump “engaged in insurrection” within the meaning of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment — which prohibits a person who did so after taking an oath to support the Constitution from holding office again — she wrote in her Nov. 17 ruling that the clause does not apply to the presidency.
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The case was quickly appealed to the state’s highest court by both sides. The plaintiffs, who are backed by the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, say Wallace’s finding that Section 3’s reference to “officer(s) of the United States” does not include the president is “nonsensical.” Trump’s attorneys asked the Supreme Court to review a wide range of issues in the case, including the finding that the former president engaged in insurrection.
Before the case reached the Colorado Supreme Court, outside parties filed amicus or friend-of-the-court briefs on either side. Similar efforts to block Trump’s 2024 candidacy have been filed in other states, and the factor is expected to be in the end was resolved through the U. S. Supreme Court.
A group of 19 Republican-leaning states, led by Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, urged the court to follow the example of other states, including Minnesota and Michigan, and reject the plaintiffs’ arguments.
“The 14th Amendment entrusts Insurrection Clause questions to Congress — not state officials or state courts,” the Nov. 29 brief states. “Allowing each state and its courts to determine eligibility using malleable standards would create an unworkable patchwork of eligibility requirements for President.”
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Rokita called challenges to Trump’s eligibility an “assault on our republic.” A former GOP member of Congress and close Trump ally, Rokita has repeated baseless conspiracy theories alleging widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Such claims have been repeatedly debunked by elections officials, experts, media investigations, law enforcement and the courts.
– Mary Estill Buchanan, former Republican secretary of state of Colorado
Trump was indicted in August by federal prosecutors who allege that his “widespread and destabilizing lies” about the 2020 election “targeted a basic service of the U. S. federal government. “Since announcing last year that he would run for president in 2024, he has maintained a really wide lead over his rivals in the polls for the GOP nomination.
An organization of 14 state Republican parties, led by the Kansas Republican Party, also filed a brief in favor of Trump’s election election. Echoing arguments made through the Colorado Republican Party, which participated alongside Trump in the trial as an intervenor, the states parties argue that Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold only plays a “ministerial” role in certifying the candidates selected by the party in the trial and does not have the strength to exclude Trump unilaterally.
However, lawyers representing Griswold have continued to challenge that claim in filings with the Supreme Court. While Griswold has not taken an official position on Trump’s ineligibility, the secretary of state maintains that under Colorado’s election code, she has a transparent duty to ensure that only eligible applicants are indexed on the ballot.
“The Secretary of State’s number one fear is that Colorado’s courts and election officials will continue to have the authority to ensure ballot integrity,” the Secretary of State’s report said. “Colorado has not abdicated its duty to conduct a fair and accurate election for political reasons. parties. “
The Republican secretaries of state of Ohio, Missouri and Wyoming submitted their own briefs, Trump had been “wrongly” accused of participating in an insurrection.
“This is a classic case of judicial overreach, and the (lower court judge’s) ruling in this case has no basis in law,” Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said in a statement. “The district court’s order relies on flimsy and circumstantial evidence to reach a flawed conclusion with far-reaching implications both for the president’s own legal defense and for the broader democratic process of free and fair elections.”
Mary Estill Buchanan, a former Republican secretary of state for Colorado, joined the advocacy organization Colorado Common Cause in an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs’ case, telling the court that “this country and yours are at a crossroads. “
“(Trump) has allowed the lust for strength to update his own oath in the workplace and more than two centuries of American political precedent. Mr. Trump has sought in each and every case to wreak havoc on our nation’s electoral ticket in the upcoming 2024 presidential election. choice,” he said. He doesn’t deserve to have the opportunity to do that in the state of Colorado. “
The state Supreme Court will hear two hours of oral argument in the case starting at 1 p.m. on Dec. 6.
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Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a network of grant-backed news bureaus and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains its editorial independence. Please contact Editor Quentin Young if you have any questions: info@coloradonewsline. com. Follow Colorado Newsline on Facebook and Twitter.
Chase Woodruff is a senior reporter for Colorado Newsline. His beats include the environment, money in politics, and the economy.
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