Illinois Judge Orders Donald Trump to Be Removed from the State's Presidential Ballot

Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to be removed from the presidential ballot in the state of Illinois by a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County. The ruling was made on Wednesday, February 28th, 2024, by Judge Tracie Porter, who cited Trump's alleged involvement in the January 6th insurrection as the basis for her decision. Given that March 19 is the state's primary, this could have devastating consequences for his campaign. However, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Trump's campaign, promptly said, "This is an unconstitutional ruling that we will quickly appeal." 

The 14th Amendment's Section 3 prevents government officials who have pledged to uphold the Constitution from holding office if they participate in an insurrection. In particular, Section 3 of the 14th Amendment clearly states, "No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability," as per Mediaite.

The 1868 law, which forbade former Confederates from holding public office, was mostly forgotten for over 150 years. It wasn't until December that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, sometimes referred to as the insurrection clause of the disqualification clause, was used to disqualify a presidential candidate in all of American history.

However, that was altered when the Colorado Supreme Court decided that Trump was not qualified to be President due to his actions on January 6. He will not be allowed to vote in the state's GOP presidential primary, the court ruled. The Illinois State Board of Elections heard the case in January but concluded that it lacked the jurisdiction to strike Trump from the ballot. However, a judge afterward approved the petitioners' pursuit of Trump's removal.

It is anticipated that the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on the case shortly. Most of the initiatives in Illinois, Colorado, Maine, and other states to keep Trump off the ballot would probably be dismissed if the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in his favor. After pointing out that the Supreme Court is now considering two cases involving the former president, Legal Analyst Irv Miller of CBS 2 declared that the Cook County court's ruling is 'absolutely meaningless.'

The United States Supreme Court has also chosen to hear arguments regarding Trump's eligibility for immunity from prosecution on April 22 this year. A federal grand jury indicted former President Trump for attempting to unlawfully influence the 2020 election. Earlier this month, the U.S. Appeals Court rejected Trump's request to be granted immunity from prosecution in this case, as per CBS News.