A judge has for the first time ruled that January 6th was an insurrection and on that basis removed a pro-Trump elected official from office. The office is a county commission seat, and the elected official was present on January 6th.
The specific act of "insurrection" of which he was found guilty was misdemeanor trespass. He entered parts of the Capitol grounds and, by his own admission, led a prayer rally there. He is now barred for life from holding any office under the United States by the Constitution's 14th Amendment, assuming that this ruling withstands review.
4 comments:
It'll be interesting to see how far it goes before an appeal overturns this.
Eric Hines
Indeed, we shall all be interested to see if this is allowed to stand -- and to see how many stand up to embrace it. Normally even a felon is only stripped of his own right to vote. Here everyone, convicted or not, is being stripped of a right to vote for him: and for not even going inside the Capitol, but merely crossing onto public land of which he is a partial owner, for the purpose of protected 1st Amendment activity that would have drawn others out of the riot and into prayer.
It presents an interesting backdrop regarding the situation currently surrounding former President Donald Trump, also.
Some on the Left are suggesting--hoping--that an indictment of Trump would legally block him from running for President in 2024, and others on the Left are insisting that, no, a conviction would be required.
More sensible folks are pointing out that, well, there's nothing in our Constitution that says he--or any indictee or convicted--could not run and if elected could not serve. They point out that our Constitution lays out the only criteria governing a Presidential candidate's eligibility and, further, that the Supreme Court has already said States cannot (not may not) add limits to those criteria.
Eric Hines
Can't wait to see the true believers heads explode when this gets overturned.
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