Colorado Judge Rules That Trump Stays on Ballot After ACLJ Defense of the Right To Vote
The ACLJ just delivered a huge victory as a Colorado court threw out a 14th Amendment case against President Trump – a win for voters in the 2024 election. We proudly represented the Colorado Republican Party in this case and are pleased that Colorado citizens’ First Amendment right to vote for the candidate of choice was upheld.
Former President Donald Trump's name will remain on the Colorado 2024 presidential primary ballot, a judge ruled Friday.
“The court orders the Secretary of State to place Donald J. Trump on the presidential primary ballot when it certifies the ballot on January 5, 2024,” U.S. District Court Judge Sarah B. Wallace wrote in her ruling.
(You can read our full analysis of the case here.)
This was our toughest case in our ongoing legal battle to stop states from “disqualifying” President Trump from the states’ primary ballots. Yet we managed to ensure the Constitution was upheld.
The judge rightly ruled the 14th Amendment doesn’t apply to the President of the United States, but still went on in a superfluous finding to state that she believed the President was guilty of insurrection. I don’t like that the judge had to write a 102-page screed that showed her bias against the former President – explaining why she thinks Trump is bad but still belongs on the Colorado primary ballot.
Keep in mind that the President has never been formally convicted – let alone even charged – with insurrection. And why? Because there’s zero evidence that President Trump tried to start an insurrection. So in the end, the judge reached the right legal conclusion, but she went the wrong way to arrive there.
Because of the hard work of our legal team and the generous support of our donors, justice and the rule of law have prevailed in Colorado. The judge’s ruling is being appealed, but rest assured, we stand ready to fight back.
This Colorado victory follows our recent wins in Michigan (where we represented seven state Republican Parties), Minnesota, and Oklahoma. Now we set our sights fully on Virginia and West Virginia, where we have pending litigation.
We are also doing everything possible to bring home the Israeli hostages in Gaza. We are invoking the U.N. to pledge its full support for the hostages. We are planning to travel to Europe to garner support from the European Union, the Council of Europe, and the European Parliament. We need Europe to stand with us in freeing the hostages.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo joined the broadcast to discuss the ACLJ’s work in representing the families of the hostages. He spoke about the importance of the ACLJ pressuring the international community to help get the hostages released:
You mentioned Israel. You mentioned Qatar – they’ll be important actors in getting these men and women home and these infants home to their families. But the whole world needs to put pressure on their friends and allies. They need the French. The Europeans, more broadly, all have a role to play. And so the ACLJ being connected to the European Union, connected to the folks at the European court system, . . . all of these folks have connectivity in places that can shape the story and make sure that everyone understands the imperative to get these people home.
We want these hostages freed as quickly as possible. And we need the world’s support to help get the job done.
At the same time, we hope Israel doesn’t relent in eradicating Hamas. They must never be allowed to harm the Israeli people ever again. We can pray for peace in the region – and we never stop praying – but peace will come when Hamas is no more.
The ACLJ can’t work to bring the Israeli hostages home or win vital cases preserving election integrity without your help. We are in the middle of our Faith & Freedom Drive to fund our legal efforts. Donate today, and your gift will be doubled immediately.
Today’s broadcast celebrated the ACLJ’s victory in Colorado and reviewed how we’re defending Israel and the hostages both at home and abroad. Senior Counsel for International and Government Affairs Jeff Ballabon also discussed ongoing antisemitism on college campuses and the ACLJ’s efforts to defend Israel via our office in Jerusalem.
Watch the full broadcast below: