California’s Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis has urged the Secretary of State, Dr. Shirley N. Weber, to consider legal avenues for excluding former President Donald Trump from California’s 2024 presidential primary ballot.
The news was first reported by Politico reporter Christopher Cadelago.
In a letter addressed to Secretary Weber, Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis references the recent ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court in Anderson v. Griswold, which deemed former President Trump ineligible for Colorado’s ballot, citing his alleged role in inciting the January 6, 2021, “insurrection” at the U.S. Capitol.
It should be noted that Trump has not been charged with engaging in insurrection or rebellion against the United States. Trump told his supporters to be PEACEFUL!
“This decision is about honoring the rule of law in our country and protecting the fundamental pillars of our democracy,” Kounalakis stated in her letter. She emphasized that the Colorado ruling should serve as a precedent for California to follow.
The far-left Colorado Supreme Court, in its unconstitutional ruling, held that under section three of the Fourteenth Amendment, Trump’s actions during the insurrection disqualify him from standing for presidential re-election. Referencing conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch’s opinion in Hassan, the court underscored the state’s right to exclude from the ballot candidates who are constitutionally prohibited from assuming office.
Lt. Governor Kounalakis’s letter implores California to “stand on the right side of history” and to determine Trump’s eligibility for the California ballot based on the reasons outlined in the Anderson case.
“The constitution is clear: you must be 40 years old and not be an insurrectionist,” the letter concludes. Wrong! The U.S. Constitution states that the president must be at least 35 years old.
Read the full letter:
Based on the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling in Anderson v. Griswold (2023 CO 63), I urge you to explore every legal option to remove former President Donald Trump from California’s 2024 presidential primary ballot.
I am prompted by the Colorado Supreme Court’s recent ruling that former President Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot as a Presidential Candidate due to his role in inciting an insurrection in the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. This decision is about honoring the rule of law in our country and protecting the fundamental pillars of our democracy.
Specifically, the Colorado Supreme Court held in Anderson v. Griswold (2023 CO 63) that Trump’s insurrection disqualifies him under section three of the Fourteenth Amendment to stand for presidential re-election. Because the candidate is ineligible, the court ruled, it would be a
“wrongful act” for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on that state’s presidential primary ballot. Furthermore, Colorado’s Supreme Court cites conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch to make their case, saying the following, “As then-Judge Gorsuch recognized in Hassan, it is ‘a state’s legitimate interest in protecting the integrity and practical functioning of the political process’ that ‘permits it to exclude from the ballot candidates who are constitutionally prohibited from assuming office.
California must stand on the right side of history. California is obligated to determine if Trump is ineligible for the California ballot for the same reasons described in Anderson. The Colorado decision can be the basis for a similar decision here in our state. The constitution is clear: you must be 40 years old and not be an insurrectionist.