Trump declared ineligible to run for presidential office

Washington: Donald Trump became the first American president, either serving as president or not, to be removed from the race for reelection because of insurrection. Stated differently, he is unfit to run for election.

This is yet another first for the former president, who has already achieved a number of ignoble firsts: the only US president to be impeached twice, accused of a crime of mishandling classified papers, and overturned an electoral outcome.

In a decision that's being historic, the Colorado Supreme Court barred Trump from running in the state's presidential primary ruling he had engaged in insurrection on January 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters invaded the US Congress -- at this urging and direction -- to prevent lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden as the next President, which is a procedural formality of the presidential election process. He is facing upwards of 90 charges in a medley of cases brought against him by federal and state authorities.

"A majority of the court holds that President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution," the court ruling read.

"Because he is disqualified, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot."

The ruling came under Amendment 14 of the US Constitution which bars people engaging in insurrection from running for president.

"No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the US, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the US, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the US, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability, says Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Three of the seven members of the bench dissented and the case for disqualifying Trump on this very ground has been rejected by two states.

The Trump campaign has said it will appeal the ruling.

With inputs from IANS