‘Strikingly Anti-Democratic’: Jonathan Turley Shreds Colorado Over Trump Ballot Ouster

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley torched the Colorado State Supreme Court over a Tuesday decision that removed former President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential ballot.

Turley took to X to voice his assessment of the decision, which was based on a ruling stating that — despite the fact that Trump has been neither charged nor convicted with participation in an insurrection — the former president was ineligible to run because he “engaged in an insurrection” on January 6, 2021.

“The Colorado Supreme Court has issued an unsigned opinion disqualifying Trump from the ballot: ‘The sum of these parts is this: President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three; because he is disqualified,’” Turley began.

…This ends a string of losses for advocates of this dangerous novel theory. They finally found a court that would embrace what the court admits is a case of “first impression.” My first impression remains that same. The court is dead wrong in my view…https://t.co/lGhv9je2a7

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) December 19, 2023

“This ends a string of losses for advocates of this dangerous novel theory. They finally found a court that would embrace what the court admits is a case of ‘first impression.’ My first impression remains that same. The court is dead wrong in my view,” he continued.

Turley warned that the argument was so broad that it left the door open for any future candidates to be removed for almost any reason.

“It is striking that the court relies on Schenck v. U.S., where the Court upheld the denial of core free speech rights of a socialist opposing a war. The opinion of the Colorado Supreme Court is so sweeping that it would allow for tit-for-tat removals of candidates from ballots.”

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…The opinion is remarkable in how the four justices adopted the most sweeping interpretations to get over each barrier. The result is lack of a limiting principle. I view the opinion as strikingly anti-democratic in what it now allows states to do in blue and red states alike.

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) December 20, 2023

“The opinion is remarkable in how the four justices adopted the most sweeping interpretations to get over each barrier. The result is lack of a limiting principle. I view the opinion as strikingly anti-democratic in what it now allows states to do in blue and red states alike,” Turley concluded.

The Colorado Republican Party has already threatened to cancel the state’s primary entirely if Trump is kept off the ballot — and the former president has already released a statement as well.

“BIDEN SHOULD DROP ALL OF THESE FAKE POLITICAL INDICTMENTS AGAINST ME, BOTH CRIMINAL & CIVIL. EVERY CASE I AM FIGHTING IS THE WORK OF THE DOJ & WHITE HOUSE. NO SUCH THING HAS EVER HAPPENED IN OUR COUNTRY BEFORE. BANANA REPUBLIC??? ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!” he posted.