- The Supreme Court ruled Monday that Donald Trump can remain on Colorado ballots, after the state’s highest court ruled in December that he could not do so.
- Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold was disappointed by the ruling
- She had urged the Supreme Court to rule in favor of Colorado’s voting ban
- Read more about the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of Donald Trump
Colorado’s secretary of state, who wanted the Supreme Court to remove Donald Trump from her state’s ballots, admitted she was discouraged that the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of the former president.
Jena Griswold, Colorado’s secretary of state, said she was still hopeful that Congress could pursue insurrection charges against the former president.
She had previously urged the Supreme Court to keep Trump off the ballot so that “votes are not wasted on ineligible candidates.”
During an interview shortly after the Supreme Court voted 9-0 in former President Trump’s favor, she admitted she was defeated by the ruling.
“My bigger reaction is disappointment,” she said. “I truly believe that under our Constitution, states should be able to repel oath-breaking insurrectionists.”
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said she was disappointed by the Supreme Court’s ruling Monday
Former President Donald Trump held a press conference after the ruling in which he said the Supreme Court was correct in its ruling, before adding that the case was politically motivated
The case revolved around whether Trump should be removed from the ballots for participating in an “insurrection” on January 6, 2021.
The Colorado Supreme Court had decided that he did, and that he should therefore be barred from holding elected office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
But the Supreme Court disagreed.
“The responsibility for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates rests with Congress, not the States,” the justices wrote in their ruling.
“The Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling cannot therefore be upheld. All nine members of the Court of Auditors agree with that result.’
Despite the defeat, Griswold said she is still hopeful that Trump can be removed from the ballots.
“Ultimately, this decision leaves the door open for Congress to act and pass legislation.”
Griswold said she remains hopeful that Congress could rule that Trump participated in an insurrection, which would therefore disqualify him from participating in the insurrection.
She was referring to how the Supreme Court shifted the decision of whether Trump participated in an insurrection to Congress.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., meanwhile, said in an interview Monday that he was looking to “revive” legislation in the House of Representatives that would determine whether Trump would commit an insurrection, adding credence to Griswold’s claim would make.
However, Congress has yet to determine whether or not Trump has committed an insurrection, and it is unlikely to do so under Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson.
“We know that Congress is a virtually non-functioning body,” Griswold said.
“So ultimately it’s up to American voters to save our democracy this November.”
The Supreme Court’s decision Monday also ensured that Trump would appear on the ballots in Maine, after the secretary of state previously ruled that the former president should not appear on the ballots because of his conduct on Jan. 6.