https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67768873
The court did this by citing a section of the US Constitution that prohibits officials who participated in “rebellion or insurrection” from holding public office. The ruling was based on Donald Trump's alleged role in the events of January 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters invaded Congress on Capitol Hill in an attempt to challenge the presidential election results that showed his rival Joe Biden had won.
The decision made Trump the first presidential contender in US history to be ruled ineligible for the White House under the rarely invoked 14th Amendment. Several previous attempts to remove Trump from the ballot in other states have failed.
The entry into force of the decision was suspended until January 4, 2024 to allow the US Supreme Court to consider an appeal against it.
By a narrow 4-3 margin, the court found that the Constitution bars a contender for the 2024 Republican nomination from appearing on the ballot because of his role in “inciting violence against the government of the United States.” The state Supreme Court's verdict overturns an earlier ruling by a Colorado judge who ruled that the 14th Amendment's prohibition on insurrection does not apply to presidents because the section does not specifically name them.
According to the lower court's ruling, Trump "engaged in insurrection by inciting his supporters to violence," but as president he was not a "U.S. official" who could be disqualified under the amendment.
The Trump campaign called the court's decision completely flawed and undemocratic, saying it would be appealed to the US Supreme Court. “Democratic Party leaders are paranoid about President Trump's growing, dominant position in the polls,” said Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Cheung. “They have lost faith in the disastrous Biden presidency and are now doing everything they can to prevent American voters from throwing them out of office next November.”
Read also: