A JUDGE has ruled that Donald Trump should be booted from the primary ballot in Illinois as the Supreme Court has yet to decide whether states can stop him from being listed as a candidate.
Judge Tracie Porter of Illinois’ Cook County made the decision on Wednesday as the nation’s highest court debates if Trump should be disqualified from running for president after the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
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Porter suspended her ruling until Friday, leaving time for an appeal, and wrote that she was aware her “decision could not be the ultimate outcome” since higher courts still have to weigh in.
In December, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump was ineligible to run for president – the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.
The US Supreme Court is set to decide on the controversy soon and appeared doubtful of previous arguments to kick Trump off the ballot in Colorado.
The clock is ticking for the Supreme Court as Colorado’s primary is less than a week away.
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Porter said her order would be put on hold if the Supreme Court‘s ruling is “inconsistent” with hers.
Caryn Lederer, an attorney representing the objectors to Trump on the Illinois ballot, called the judge’s decision a “very important victory” for her group.
Illinois is the third state that has attempted to boot Trump from the ballot, following rulings in Maine and Colorado.
“[The judge] has reviewed the extensive body of evidence and determined that he’s disqualified from the presidency. That is a critical decision that is adding to decisions in Colorado and Maine on this point,” Lederer told the Chicago Sun-Times.
“What we think is incredibly important about this decision — and one thing that makes it potentially distinct from the United States Supreme Court‘s review — is that Judge Porter really engaged with the evidence that was presented to her and that was before the electoral board to render a decision about what happened on January 6 and President Trump’s involvement,” she added.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on whether Trump should be immune from charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election.
The court is hoping for a quick resolution and will hear arguments in late April, with a decision coming no later than the end of June.
Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to share his thoughts on the Supreme Court‘s decision.
“Legal Scholars are extremely thankful for the Supreme Court’s Decision today to take up Presidential Immunity. Without Presidential Immunity, a President will not be able to properly function, or make decisions, in the best interest of the United States of America,” the post read.
“Presidents will always be concerned, and even paralyzed, by the prospect of wrongful prosecution and retaliation after they leave office. This could actually lead to the extortion and blackmail of a President. The other side would say, ‘If you don’t do something, just the way we want it, we are going to go after you when you leave office, or perhaps even sooner.'”
He continued, “If there is no Immunity, the Presidency, as we know it, will ‘no longer exist.'”
In another post on Wednesday night, Trump denied any fault, saying that all he did was build a successful and “very liquid company.”
He called the allegations against him a “weaponized attack” against the GOP front-runner.
“This is a political witch hunt and will lead to the destruction of New York State, with businesses and people fleeing by the thousands, while criminals continue to roam the streets.
“We will continue to appeal until justice prevails!”
LEADING THE PACK
As his presidential goals hang in the balance, Trump has continued to rack up wins in every GOP vote so far this year.
He steamrolled through the Michigan primary on Tuesday, defeating his sole rival, Nikki Haley.
Trump snatched 12 delegates and had more than 68% of the vote while Haley took home 26.6%, earning her four delegates.
He has defeated Haley in all of their head-to-head bouts, beating the former United Nations ambassador by 11 points in New Hampshire in January and by more than 20 points in South Carolina on Saturday.
Haley saw another major loss in the Nevada primary after more than 42,500 voters chose the “None of these candidates” option over her.
Trump called it “a bad night” for the former governor of South Carolina.
Haley has remained defiant despite back-to-back losses, including a defeat in her native state.
“I always said no matter what happens in South Carolina, I will continue to run for President,” Haley told her supporters after Saturday’s results.
“I’m a woman of my word. I’m not giving up this fight when a majority of Americans disapprove of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden.”
