Can Colorado really keep Trump off the ballot?

WASHINGTON (TND) — For Donald Trump, the hurdles in returning to the White House are a bit higher for now after Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled his role on January 6th and efforts to overturn the election, amount to insurrection and essentially make him ineligible.

The justices in the 4-3 majority wrote in part that because Trump is “disqualified” it would be wrong to put him on the ballot.

Eric Olson, an attorney for the petitioners, told CNN, “Our constitution is clear that you become disqualified once you’ve engaged in the insurrection. There is no need for a specific finding by a court or a tribunal for that disqualification to attach.”

But without Trump being fully tried in court, three of the seven justices disagreed that the 14th Amendment applies in this case.

“People hate Trump and are so scared of Trump they’ll do anything to prevent him from running,” complained constitutional lawyer & professor, Alan Dershowitz.

I am not a Trump supporter. I want him to lose the election fair and square but without the thumb of the judiciary," he added. “Congress and only Congress can pass legislation implementing the provision of the 14th amendment. It leaves nothing to the states.

President Biden too weighed in on another legal drama likely destined for the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Now whether the 14th Amendment applies, I’ll let the court make that decision. But he certainly supported an insurrection. No question about it. None. Zero,” Biden told reporters Wednesday.

Faith in both the courts and a fair ballot count, some argue, now appear to go hand in hand.

“This is a time we need democracy, allow voters to vote, we need to hear their decision. The court here said you will not get that in Colorado we will not let you vote for Donald Trump,"Jonathan Turley, a legal expert and commentator for Fox News argued.

While other states have made similar efforts to keep Trump off the ballot unsuccessfully, the first votes are just weeks away so it’s expected the Supreme Court will act quickly.