Donald Trump is stripped of the Republican primary in Illinois as judge orders him disqualified for his ‘role in the January 6 riots’ – marking the third state to try to ban the former president
- The Cook County judge sided with voters who tried to kick Trump out of the primary ahead of the state’s March 19 Republican primary.
- The US Supreme Court has weighed in on whether states can kick Trump off the ballot by using an argument about his alleged participation in January 6
- Illinois becomes the third state – after Colorado and Maine – to try to kick Trump off the ballot
An Illinois judge has expelled former President Donald Trump from the Illinois Republican primary over his alleged role in the January 6 Capitol riots.
Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter ruled in favor of Illinois voters who argued that Trump should be disqualified from the state’s mid-March primary, as well as the Nov. 5 general election.
Voters made their case about Trump’s conduct on January 6, 2021, when he allegedly violated the anti-insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment.
Porter delayed the entry into force of her ruling in light of an unexpected appeal filed by the former president’s legal team.
An Illinois judge has kicked out former President Donald Trump from the Republican primary in Illinois over his alleged role in the January 6 Capitol riots.
Voters made their case about Trump’s conduct on January 6, 2021, when he allegedly violated the anti-insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment
The legal arguments for banning him from the ballot largely revolve around a new application of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which hinges largely on whether or not the January 6 riots can be defined as an insurrection.
Illinois is currently one of a handful of states seeking to disqualify the likely Republican nominee for president from both the primary and general elections.
The legal arguments for banning him from the ballot largely revolve around a new application of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which hinges largely on whether or not the January 6 riots can be defined as an insurrection.
The U.S. Supreme Court took up the question after a Colorado court tried to do the same; the judiciary is expected to make a decision on the case soon.
The court is widely expected to reject arguments that Trump should be barred from office.
Porter’s ruling relied heavily on the Colorado Supreme Court’s earlier ruling, whose decision the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to call incorrect.
The judge wrote in her ruling that she is “aware of the magnitude of this decision and its impact on the upcoming Illinois primary elections.”
“The Illinois State Board of Elections will remove Donald J. Trump from the ballot for the March 19, 2024 general primary election, or cause votes cast for him to be suppressed.”
Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter ruled in favor of Illinois voters who argued that Trump should be disqualified from the state’s mid-March primary as well as the Nov. 5 general election.
Three states have now attempted to remove Trump from the ballot ahead of the primaries and general election
Trump’s legal team has been given a short window to appeal Porter’s decision
Porter removed Trump from the ballot a month after the same challenge was rejected by the Illinois State Board of Elections — a bipartisan body that voted unanimously to dismiss the case because they claimed they had no jurisdiction over the case.
Wednesday’s decision makes Illinois the third state — after Colorado and Maine — to try to kick Trump off the ballot.
The challenge was filed by a group of voters working with Free Speech For People – a legal advocacy group that had tried and failed to get Trump off the ballot in Michigan, Minnesota and Oregon.
Both prior states’ decisions were stayed pending appeal of the Colorado case to SCOTUS.
Nicholas Nelson, one of Trump’s lawyers, said January 6 could best be described as a “political riot.” He said it was much more about an angry mob than an organized group with a set of specific legal objectives
In late January, Porter reminded Trump’s legal team of the technical difference between a “riot” and an “insurrection.” She also questioned whether Trump had to be convicted of a crime before being barred from office.
“Is it important to understand why this bunch of people came together and what they were actually trying to do?” the judge asked Trump’s lawyers.
Nicholas Nelson, one of Trump’s lawyers, said January 6 could best be described as a “political riot.” He said it was much more about an angry mob than an organized group with a set of specific legal objectives.
‘It was one government action, and there is no indication that the rioters had any plan. They were just angry,” he said.