Colorado Top Court Bars Trump From State's 2024 Ballot

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Facts

• The Supreme Court of Colorado on Tuesday disqualified former Pres. Donald Trump from running for office again in the state, ruling he had incited an insurrection and supported the US Capitol's siege in 2021.¹
• The court applied Section 3 of the 14th Amendment in the ruling, which bars people who engage in insurrection after taking an oath to support the US Constitution, and ordered Trump's removal from Colorado's Republican primary ballot.²
• The 4-3 ruling, which applies only to Colorado and comes in advance of the 2024 presidential election, is set to be placed on hold until Jan. 4 pending Trump's appeal to the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS).³
• The Colorado top court decision this week overturned a November ruling by a lower court judge who had found Trump responsible for the Jan. 6 Capitol riots but didn't bar him, arguing that it was unclear if Section 3 of the 14th Amendment covered the presidency.⁴
• Trump's campaign is set to appeal to the US Supreme Court which, if it decides against him, could seal his fate in all 50 states, not only Colorado.²
• Amid these developments, SCOTUS is currently debating whether Trump is immune from criminal charges related to his alleged attempt to subvert the 2020 election as part of a separate case.⁵

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²New York Times, ³CNN, ⁴Guardian and ⁵Politico.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Los angeles times. The following 16 days will be a real rollercoaster for the American political landscape. The narrow way out given to Donald Trump by the Denver court has been sealed until SCOTUS comes to a decision. Keeping the US president out of the ambit of the 14th Amendment/insurrection clause defies logic — Trump was caught red-handed, and he cannot be allowed a route back to office.
• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by FOX News. In a way, this temporary setback will only boost Donald Trump's popularity among voters. If it did find against him, contrary to a previous ruling, the sheer partisanship of the Colorado Supreme Court would be put out there for everyone to see. Since there's no way Trump can be defeated in the polls, the system is now trying to block him down by other means. Americans are pinning their hopes on the Supreme Court to come to the right decision and allow Trump to run.

Predictions