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Democratic lawmakers voiced support for Colorado's contentious ruling that will bar Donald Trump from being listed on ballots - as they call on the Supreme Court to affirm the decision.
'If the [Supreme] Court takes remotely seriously its profession of faith in original intent and textualism, then it will have to affirm' the ruling, said former impeachment manager and top Oversight Democrat Jamie Raskin, Md.
'The original meaning ... is precisely to forbid people who have betrayed their oath by trying to overthrow the constitutional order,' added Raskin, a former constitutional law professor who now serves as one of Joe Biden's lead attack dogs on Capitol Hill.
He even warned the nation to prepare for potential violence in response to the ruling.
'If the [Supreme] Court takes remotely seriously its profession of faith in original intent and textualism, then it will have to affirm' the ruling, said former impeachment manager and top Oversight Democrat Jamie Raskin, Md
'This is the problem,' he said in a statement, first reported by Axios. 'Whenever the police and prosecutors go after organized crimes or violent gangs, there is always the fear that enforcing the law against them could lead to further violence.'
Colorado's high court ruled 4-3 on Tuesday that Trump engaged in insurrection by enflaming his supporters outside the Capitol before the January 6 riot, thereby violating the 14th Amendment's 'insurrection clause.'
It is the first time in history that the insurrection clause has been used to prevent a presidential candidate from appearing on a state's presidential ballot.
Raskin brushed off criticisms that the ruling was anti-democratic.
'It's like if a 14 year old tried to run for President, would that person be kept off of the ballot because the Constitution says you have to be 35 years old to run for president,' he said in an MSNBC appearance.
'I would think that regardless of what your politics are, what your party is, everybody should agree that this is a question of law that's got to be settled by the courts. This is just a question of law.'
Colorado's high court ruled 4-3 on Tuesday that Trump engaged in insurrection by enflaming his supporters outside the Capitol before the January 6 riot, thereby violating the 14th Amendment's 'insurrection clause'
Rep. Adam Schiff called the ruling '[a]ccountability for inciting an insurrection.'
'It's about time,' Schiff posted on X. The California Democrat was censured earlier this year by Republicans for comments he made about investigations into Donald Trump's ties to Russia.
Colorado Democrat Rep. Jason Crow said his state had made the 'right' decision in barring Trump.
'The Constitution protects the right to vote and bars candidates who abuse the process or engage in insurrection,' Crow said. 'Donald Trump has done both.'
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., an impeachment manager in the second case against Trump, also expressed support for the ruling.
'The Court appropriately held that Trump is disqualified from being [on] the ballot,' Lieu said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. '[As] an impeachment manager, it was very clear to me that the evidence showed Trump called for and incited the mob on January 6.'
President Biden, meanwhile, said there is 'no question' Trump supported an insurrection, but he would 'let the courts make that decision' whether the 14th Amendment applies.
The Colorado court cited Trump's January 6, 2021 speech, where he told a crowd on the Ellipse to 'fight like hell,' ruling that it was not protected speech under the First Amendment. That cut at yet another Trump argument, that his comments on that day, shortly before a mob stormed the Capitol when Congress was meeting to count the electoral votes, were protected speech.
Trump's remarks, as well as a sprawling scheme involving 'fake electors' and other efforts to overturn the vote, are part of the indictment brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith in federal court in the District of Columbia.
