Democracy Under Scrutiny
“Every American should be troubled by the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove President Trump from the ballot,” declared Robert F. Kennedy Jr., casting a spotlight on a ruling that has ignited debate across the political spectrum. Kennedy’s stance is unequivocal: the court has unjustly stripped Trump of a critical right, absent a crime conviction. “This was done without an evidentiary hearing in which he is given the basic right of confronting his accusers,” he stated, pinpointing a disturbing bypass of judicial process.
The court has deprived him of a consequential right without having been convicted of a crime.
This was done without an evidentiary hearing in which he is given the basic right of confronting his accusers.
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) December 20, 2023
The Will of the People
Kennedy’s message didn’t end with a critique. He took to Twitter, advocating for electoral integrity, “It’s time to trust the voters. It is up to the people to decide who the best candidate is. Not the courts. The people. That’s Democracy 101,” reinforcing the foundational principle that the electorate’s voice is paramount.
GOP Candidates Rally for Ballot Fairness
The decision’s ripple effect reached GOP presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has pledged a dramatic withdrawal from the Colorado Republican presidential primary if Trump’s candidacy is obstructed. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is also campaigning for the GOP presidential nomination, expressed his disdain for the ruling, “The Left invokes ‘democracy’ to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds,” his tweet read.
The Left invokes “democracy” to justify its use of power, even if it means abusing judicial power to remove a candidate from the ballot based on spurious legal grounds. SCOTUS should reverse. https://t.co/D4pCzZ7FhY
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 20, 2023
DeSantis didn’t hesitate to call for the highest court’s intervention: “SCOTUS should reverse.”
Court’s Verdict and Implications
The court’s decision was forthright in its rationale: “Accordingly, we conclude that because President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Secretary to list President Trump as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot. Therefore, the Secretary may not list President Trump’s name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot, nor may she count any write-in votes cast for him.” Yet, there’s a window for change, as the court added, “But we stay our ruling until January 4, 2024. If review is sought in the Supreme Court before the stay expires, it shall remain in place, and the Secretary will continue to be required to include President Trump’s name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot until the receipt of any order or mandate from the Supreme Court.”
Campaign’s Response to the Ruling
The Trump campaign, represented by spokesperson Steven Cheung, swiftly announced its countermove: “We will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision.”
