Efforts to keep former President Donald Trump off voters’ ballots in the March presidential primary election will play out in a Denver courtroom Monday. It comes after a group of voters filed a lawsuit last month.
The lawsuit challenges Trump’s listing as a presidential candidate in Colorado on the primary ballot in March — and any ballot in the future — based off Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The group that filed the lawsuit is the “Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington,” otherwise known as CREW.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment states no one should hold office if they engage in insurrection or rebellion. The voters are arguing that the Jan. 6 attack was an “insurrection” under the amendment, and that Trump was involved and the leader of those attacks. They argue he also tried to overthrow the results of the 2020 election.
They’re also asking Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold to not take any action that would allow Trump to be on the ballot.
Griswold said she looks forward to a resolution on this issue. Her office also stated the law is “unclear on how to consider requirements” of determining whether a candidate is eligible for office.
The measure has rarely been used over the last 150 years, and never against a former president.
The lawsuit is the first of its kind to disqualify Trump from holding public office. The lawsuit could also impact his eligibility to run in 2024 before the U.S. Supreme Court.
CREW, the organization behind the suit, said they will continue to pursue more cases challenging Trump’s eligibility to run for president.
Colorado’s Republican primary is scheduled for March 5.
