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Colorado Supreme Court to hear case that could bar Trump from ballot

State election officials are hoping for a final decision by Jan. 5, which is when Colorado must finalize its primary ballot.
Colorado Supreme Court to hear case that could bar Trump from ballot
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An effort to keep former President Donald Trump from appearing on the 2024 presidential primary ballot in Colorado is getting new life just days after a state judge rejected a lawsuit filed by an election watchdog group. 

The Colorado Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals from the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The liberal group filed a lawsuit claiming that Trump should be disqualified from running for president in 2024 under a Civil War-era Constitutional clause that prohibits anyone who has "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" from serving as an "officer of the United States." The provision is nestled at the end of the 14th Amendment and has only been used a couple of times throughout history, but has gained renewed attention following the Capitol insurrection. 

SEE MORE: Michigan is the latest state to file lawsuit against Trump on ballots

The decision by the Colorado Supreme Court to take up the case comes less than a week after a district judge in the state rejected the lawsuit, saying the 14th Amendment clause does not apply to the former president. Trump's lawyers now have until next Monday to file a brief in the case, which will be heard by seven justices, all of whom were appointed by Democratic governors. 

The Colorado case is just one of several lawsuits in other states attempting to keep Trump off the ballot. Colorado election officials are hoping for a final decision from the high court by Jan. 5, which is when the state must finalize its primary ballot. 


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