Illinois Judge Orders Trump Off Primary Ballot

Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter has determined that former President Donald Trump is to be removed from the Illinois primary ballot.

Judge Porter ruled in favor of Illinois voters who contended that the former president is ineligible for inclusion on the state’s March 19 primary ballot and its November 5 general election ballot due to infringing the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment’s anti-insurrection clause.

This Amendment, established in 1868, aims to prevent those who have partaken in insurrection from holding office. The judge’s decree, stemming from allegations that Trump engaged in actions tantamount to insurrection during the Capitol breach on January 6, marking another pivotal moment in the lead up to the 2024 election.

🚨 BREAKING: Illinois judge removes Donald Trump from the state’s ballot based on the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban.”

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 29, 2024

A deadline is set for the former president’s lawyers to file an appeal by Friday.

The Supreme Court of Colorado and the Secretary of State of Maine have found Trump disqualified from being listed on the presidential ballots in their respective states, citing the 14th Amendment’s clause on insurrection. The enforcement of these decisions is on hold as they await the outcomes from other legal proceedings, leaving open the possibility that Trump could still be included in the primary ballots in both states.

However, the state supreme courts of Michigan and Minnesota, along with the Secretary of State of California, have decided to keep Trump on their primary ballots.

This is a developing story…