Colorado GOP urges U.S. Supreme Court to keep Trump on 2024 ballot
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Republican Presidential candidate former President Trump during a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada, earlier this month. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The U.S. Supreme Court was urged to overturn Colorado's landmark ruling removing former President Trump from the state's 2024 ballot in a Colorado Republican Party petition on Wednesday.
Why it matters: The petition indefinitely extends the Colorado Supreme Court's stay to its order that was due to expire on Jan. 4 ahead of a U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case — meaning Trump's name can for now still appear on the ballot.
Driving the news: "The Republican Party has been irreparably harmed" by the Colorado Supreme Court's majority decision finding that the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause applies to Trump in relation to his actions surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, argues the petition, obtained by the New York Times.
- "The state has interfered in the primary election by unreasonably restricting the Party's ability to select its candidates," it added.
- "As a natural and inevitable result, the state has interfered with the Party's ability to place on the general election ballot the candidate of its choice. And it has done so based on a subjective claim of insurrection the state lacks any constitutional authority to make."
What we're watching: Attorneys for Trump are expected to file their own appeal in the coming days. Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Of note: The Colorado Republican Party argues in its petition that unless the Colorado Supreme Court's decision is overturned, "any voter will have the power to sue to disqualify any political candidate," in the state or in any other jurisdiction.
- "This will not only distort the 2024 presidential election but will also mire courts henceforth in political controversies over nebulous accusations of insurrection," the petition added.
- "Indeed, the catastrophic effects of the Colorado Supreme Court's decision are already foreshadowed in pending and recently decided cases involving attempts to deny President Trump access to the 2024 ballot."
Zoom out: At least 35 cases have been filed across the U.S. seeking to keep Trump off the ballot that cite the 14th Amendment.
- However, the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling by a 4-to-3 vote is the only one so far to find the largely untested Civil War-era amendment does apply to Trump.
Go deeper: Landmark Trump ruling gives Supreme Court an unexpected New Year's agenda
Editor's note: This article has been updated with further details from the petition and more context.
