Illinois Judge Orders Trump To Be Removed From Primary Ballot

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Illinois Tries to Cancel Trump

Illinois is, unfortunately, not the first state to try to ban voters from supporting Trump.

CBS News reports, “A Cook County judge on Wednesday ordered the Illinois Board of Elections to remove former President Donald Trump from the Illinois primary ballot – but also put the order on hold, pending a likely appeal.”

“Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie R. Porter issued the ruling Wednesday – but stayed the ruling until Friday in anticipation of an appeal to the Illinois Appellate or Supreme Court,” the report added. “The primary is on March 19.”

The story continued:

Mr. Trump’s campaign spokesman Steven Cheung responded quickly, saying, “This is an unconstitutional ruling that we will quickly appeal.”  

Illinois is one of several states considering disqualifying former President Trump because of his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 – and whether that could be considered an insurrection.

The case hinges on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars officials who have sworn to support the Constitution from serving in government if they engage in insurrection. The provision was enacted in 1868 to prevent former Confederates from holding office – and laid mostly dormant for more than 150 years.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment – also known as the insurrection clause of the disqualification clause – had never in the nation’s history been used to disqualify a presidential candidate until December. 

But that changed when the Colorado Supreme Court concluded that Mr. Trump’s conduct related to Jan. 6 deemed him ineligible for the presidency. The court ordered him to be excluded from the state’s GOP presidential primary ballot.

See the language used? “Attack on the Capitol” and “insurrection.” Recall that President Trump told everyone to protest peacefully, and that he was acquitted by the Senate during his impeachment trial over the incident.

It’s hard to see this as anything but naked power politics in a deep blue, corrupt state.

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In a Democracy, the People Choose

Regardless of what happens in the states, the Supreme Court is set to make the ultimate decision.

CBS News notes, “The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to make a decision on the matter soon. If the U.S. Supreme Court rules in Mr. Trump’s favor, most of the efforts to keep him off the ballot – in Illinois, Colorado, Maine, and elsewhere – would likely be tossed out.”

It should be tossed out. Voters should make the choice, not local leaders.

In a republican democracy, like America, voters choose their leaders.

Elites can’t change the rules all of a sudden just because they don’t like Donald Trump.

is a professional writer and editor with over 15 years of experience in conservative media and Republican politics. He… More about John Hanson