Donald Trump Rages at Colorado Supreme Court Kicking Him Off Ballot

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday banned former President Donald Trump from appearing on the state's ballot for the 2024 presidential election.

Those who have argued that Trump should not be on states' ballots have cited a Civil War-era clause in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that mandates officials who take an oath to support the Constitution to be banned from office in the future if they engage in "insurrection." Those fighting Trump's eligibility say his actions during and related to the January 6, 2021, siege on the U.S. Capitol amounted to engaging in an insurrection.

"A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution," the Colorado Supreme Court said in its ruling.

Steven Cheung, spokesperson for Trump's campaign, vowed to file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Unsurprisingly, the all-Democrat appointed Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, supporting a Soros-funded, left-wing group's scheme to interfere in an election on behalf of Crooked Joe Biden by removing President Trump's name from the ballot and eliminating the rights of Colorado voters to vote for the candidate of their choice," Cheung said in a statement.

Cheung added: "Democrat Party leaders are in a state of paranoia over the growing, dominant lead President Trump has amassed in the polls. They have lost faith in the failed Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to stop the American voters from throwing them out of office next November.

"The Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision. We have full confidence that the U.S. Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these unAmerican lawsuits."

The Colorado Supreme Court's ruling was 4-3, and it will be placed on hold until January 4, pending an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. A lower court in Colorado previously ruled that Trump engaged in insurrection against the government but decided it lacked the power to remove him from the state's ballot.

Along with rejecting Trump's free-speech claims, the majority in the Colorado Supreme Court decision also outlined why they felt he participated in an insurrection.

"President Trump did not merely incite the insurrection," the unsigned opinion from the majority said. "Even when the siege on the Capitol was fully underway, he continued to support it by repeatedly demanding that Vice President Pence refuse to perform his constitutional duty and by calling Senators to persuade them to stop the counting of electoral votes. These actions constituted overt, voluntary, and direct participation in the insurrection."

Update 12/19/23, 7:17 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include more information.