(Headline USA) Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., came out against the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to ban former President Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballot this week, calling it “wrong.”
Phillips, who is challenging President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination, said he believes Trump is “guilty of inspiring an insurrection and doing nothing to stop it,” but noted Trump has not been charged with such crimes, much less convicted.
He also said he expects the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case “immediately” and that the justices would be right to do so.
Do I believe Trump is guilty of inspiring an insurrection and doing nothing to stop it? I was there. Absolutely.
Do I believe it’s wrong to ban him from the ballot in Colorado without a conviction? Absolutely.
Do I believe the SCOTUS must opine immediately? Absolutely.
— Dean Phillips (@deanbphillips) December 20, 2023
In a 4-3 decision on Tuesday, the Colorado Supreme Court found that Trump was disqualified from holding the office of the presidency and could therefore be removed from the state’s ballot as a GOP primary candidate and as a write-in.
However, the state court, which temporarily stayed the controversial ruling, acknowledged the Supreme Court would likely take up the case before its decision can go into effect on Jan. 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,” the ruling noted.
Phillips isn’t the only Democrat opposed to the court’s decision. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who initially launched his campaign as a Democrat, also condemned the court.
Every American should be troubled by the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to remove President Trump from the ballot.
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) December 20, 2023
“The court has deprived [Trump] of a consequential right without having been convicted of a crime,” Kennedy wrote. “This was done without an evidentiary hearing in which he is given the basic right of confronting his accusers.”
Republican presidential candidates have also come out in support of Trump, with Vivek Ramaswamy pledging to withdraw his name from the state’s ballot as well if the decision is not overturned.
