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A judge has banned former President Donald Trump from making threats related to a lawsuit aiming to remove him from the 2024 presidential election ballot in Colorado.
The liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW) filed suit earlier this month to block Trump from being a 2024 candidate in Colorado based on a clause of the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, which prohibits any person who "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" after taking an oath of office from running for office again.
Denver District Court Judge Sarah B. Wallace on Friday granted CREW's request for an order preventing Trump from making threats or attempting to intimidate anyone involved in the case, saying: "I 100 percent understand everybody's concerns for the parties, the lawyers, and frankly myself and my staff, based on what we've seen in other cases," according to the Associated Press.
Trump lawyer Scott Gessler, former Colorado secretary of state, reportedly argued against the order on the basis of threats and intimidation already being illegal, while saying that the case was the focus of "robust political debate" from both ends of the political spectrum.
In a statement emailed to Newsweek, Gessler said the order that was issued was not specifically directed toward Trump.
"The judge made clear that the protective order applied to everyone equally, and was not directed at President Trump," Gessler said. "In fact, she specifically removed some proposed language to show that she did not direct the order towards President Trump or anyone else specifically. This is nothing more than the standard order issued in similar high profile cases."
Trump was the only candidate named in the lawsuit filed by CREW.
Although the Colorado lawsuit is a civil case, Trump has pleaded not guilty to 91 felony charges across four different criminal indictments this year, arguing that he is the victim of political "persecution" and "election interference" while he campaigns as the leading 2024 GOP candidate.
The former president has not been charged with insurrection or rebellion in any case. Regardless, some legal experts have argued that Trump is no longer eligible to hold office based on his actions related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, as the 14th Amendment provision does not stipulate that charges or convictions are required.
Trump lashed out at the lawsuit in a Truth Social post earlier this month, calling CREW "Trump deranged" while boasting about his polling numbers and claiming without evidence that U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco was "perhaps illegally" working with the group on the suit.
"The group suing me in Colorado to ridiculously try [sic] and Unconstitutionally keep me off the ballot (I am leading against DeSanctimonious by almost 50 points, and beating Crooked Joe, BIG!), is TRUMP DERANGED 'CREW," composed of many slime balls & groups like Norm Eisen through Brookings or Just Security, Andrew Weissmann, Joyce Vance, et al," Trump wrote.
"They are, perhaps illegally, working with Weissmann acolyte Lisa Monaco at 'Injustice,'" he added. "I have been beating them for years, including Impeachments. MAGA!!!"
The lawsuit in Colorado is one of dozens that seek to ban Trump as a 2024 candidate based on the same 14th Amendment clause.
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide on whether to take up a similar case from long-shot Republican presidential candidate John Castro next week, which could potentially clarify the clause and determine whether Trump can be banned under it.
Update 09/22/23, 6:25 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with a statement from Trump lawyer Scott Gessler.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more