OnPolitics: Donald Trump was disqualified from Colorado's primary ballot. Here's why.
Marina PitofskyHi OnPolitics readers! Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled yesterday that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from the state’s primary ballot heading into 2024.
The decision is sure to spark a complicated battle over the Constitution, Trump’s actions surrounding the Capitol riot and more. USA TODAY’s reporters are here to explain:
✖️ Why was Trump disqualified? The legal puzzle at the center of the case is the wording of the Constitution's insurrection clause and whether Trump incited an insurrection when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, USA TODAY’s John Fritze, Aysha Bagchi and David Jackson report.
📃 Walk me through the 14th Amendment:The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in the post-Civil War era, intended to extend liberties in the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people, USA TODAY’s Kinsey Crowley explains. But it also bars anyone who has engaged in insurrection after swearing to uphold the Constitution (by being sworn into office, for example), from holding office again.
🤼 How did Trump’s rivals respond?Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy vowed to withdraw from the Colorado primary ballot after the decision, and he demanded his Republican rivals do the same. President Joe Biden said there’s "no question" Trump supported the insurrection, but the president didn’t weigh in on the Colorado Supreme Court's specific decision.
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