Trump’s 2024 Presidential Campaign: Colorado GOP Asks Supreme Court to Overturn Ballot Disqualification

The Colorado Republican Party has filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking to overturn a ruling that disqualified former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state’s 2024 ballot. The decision to disqualify Trump was made by the Colorado Supreme Court, which ruled that he “incited and encouraged” the use of violence during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

The Colorado GOP argues that the ruling violates the First Amendment right of political parties to select the candidates of their choice and usurps the rights of the people to choose their elected officials. The case is based on three main arguments: whether the president is among those officials subject to disqualification under Section Three of the 14th Amendment, whether Section Three is “self-executing,” and whether denying a political party the ability to choose a candidate of its choice in a presidential primary and general election violates the First Amendment Right of Association.

The Colorado GOP’s petition also highlights the potential for other states to follow Colorado’s lead and exclude Trump from their ballots as well. Disqualification lawsuits relating to Trump’s appearance on the ballot are pending in 13 states, including Texas, Nevada, and Wisconsin.

In a lower court ruling, Colorado District Judge Sarah B. Wallace allowed Trump to stay on the ballot but found that he “engaged in insurrection” for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot.

The Michigan Supreme Court recently rejected an attempt to remove Trump from the state’s 2024 Republican primary ballot. However, the Colorado GOP’s petition to the U.S. Supreme Court could have significant implications for Trump’s potential candidacy in the 2024 presidential election.