Judge orders Trump removed from Illinois primary
A state judge in Illinois ruled Wednesday that former President Donald J. Trump was involved in an insurrection and was ineligible to appear on the state’s primary ballot.
The decision by Judge Tracie R. Porter of the State Circuit Court in Cook County was postponed until Friday. Judge Porter, a Democrat, said the State Board of Elections had erred in rejecting an effort to impeach Mr. Trump and said the board “will remove Donald J. Trump from the ballot for the general primary on March 19, 2024, or will cause all votes cast for him to be suppressed.
The first elections for the Illinois primary are already underway. Because Judge Porter delayed her order, Trump can remain on the ballot at least until Friday, giving him a chance to appeal the order.
“Today, an activist Democratic judge in Illinois summarily overruled the state election board and contradicted previous decisions from dozens of other state and federal jurisdictions,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement. “This is an unconstitutional ruling that we will appeal quickly.”
Judge Porter’s ruling made Illinois the third and most populous state where Mr. Trump was ineligible on constitutional grounds.
The Colorado Supreme Court and Democratic Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows both found Trump ineligible. Mr Trump, who is leading in the Republican primaries, has appealed those decisions, and his campaign has described the efforts to remove him from the ballot as anti-democratic.
Mr. Trump has appealed the Colorado and Maine rulings and is likely to appear on the ballots in both states. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Feb. 8 in the Colorado appeal in a case that could determine Mr. Trump’s eligibility to run for the national ballot. Judges from across the ideological spectrum appeared skeptical of the reasoning used to disqualify Mr. Trump. It is not clear when they will make a ruling.
Judge Porter said her ruling would be further stayed if the U.S. Supreme Court issues an opinion in the Colorado case that is inconsistent with her findings.