Colorado top court bans Trump from presidential primary ballot

The Colorado Supreme Court has declared former president Donald Trump ineligible for the White House under the US Constitution's insurrection clause and removed him from the state's presidential primary ballot, setting up a likely showdown in the nation's highest court to decide whether the front-runner for the GOP nomination can remain in the race.

Tuesday's decision from a court whose justices were all appointed by Democratic governors marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.

"A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment," the court wrote in its 4-3 decision.

Colorado's highest court overturned a ruling from a district court judge who found that Trump incited an insurrection for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, but said he could not be barred from the ballot because it was unclear that the provision was intended to cover the presidency.

The court stayed its decision until January 4, or until the US Supreme Court rules on the case.

"We do not reach these conclusions lightly," wrote the court's majority.

"We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach."

Trump spokesman calls Colorado ruling 'undemocratic'

Trump's attorneys promised to appeal any disqualification immediately to the US Supreme Court, which has the final say about constitutional matters.

His spokesman called the court's decision "completely flawed."

"We will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision," Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement.

Trump lost Colorado by 13 percentage points in 2020 and doesn't need the state to win next year's presidential election.

But the danger for the former president is that more courts and election officials will follow Colorado's lead and exclude Trump from must-win states.