A federal judge in Virginia dismissed a lawsuit aiming to toss Donald Trump off the state’s presidential primary ballot.
The complaint, citing the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, claimed Trump “engaged in insurrection or rebellion.”
“Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, found that the plaintiffs lacked standing,” the New York Post reports.
“At least five additional federal courts have concluded that citizens attempting to disqualify individuals — including former President Trump — from participating in elections or from holding public office based on the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol lacked standing,” Brinkema wrote.
“Plaintiffs have totally failed to demonstrate how their alleged injuries are traceable to the conduct of defendants,” the ruling added.
Activists tried and failed….good news
Federal judge squashes attempt to disqualify Trump from Virginia ballot
A federal judge in Virginia on Friday dismissed a lawsuit aimed at removing former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 primary ballot citing the… pic.twitter.com/hq6CGMJPQh
— floridanow1 (@floridanow1) December 30, 2023
The New York Post reports:
Brinkema also noted that the complaint’s reliance on rulings in Colorado and Maine keeping Trump off the ballot are out of place.
“Plaintiffs’ attempt to achieve a result similar to that in Colorado cannot occur in this Court because of the nature of their direct federal constitutional claims and because of the constraints imposed by Article III that limit the jurisdiction of federal courts,” she wrote.
Earlier this month, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump was ineligible to appear on the state’s primary ballot based on Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.
On Thursday, Maine’s Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows also disqualified Trump from the state’s 2024 ballot, citing Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Trump is expected to appeal both rulings.
The seldom-used insurrection clause was included in the post-Civil War 14th Amendment as a means to prevent former Confederate officials from becoming elected officials and taking over state governments and the federal government.
Federal judge dismisses attempt by Virginia activists to keep Trump off ballot | Just The News https://t.co/Zh92WsSbH1
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) December 30, 2023
“President Trump remains undefeated in 14th Amendment ballot challenges in federal courts with today’s ruling in the Eastern District of Virginia,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said.
From Just the News:
Calling the suits “bad-faith, politically motivated attempts to steal the 2024 election by disqualifying” Trump from the ballot, Cheung pointed to dismissals in the federal courts of West Virginia, New Hampshire, Florida, Arizona, and Rhode Island, as well as state courts in Michigan and Minnesota.
“President Trump has pulled significantly ahead in the polls and is poised to defeat failed president Crooked Joe Biden, or whomever the desperate Democrats put forth in 2024,” Cheung said.