A federal court in Rhode Island on Monday dismissed the latest case attempting to keep former President Donald Trump off the state’s ballot over the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
It’s the fourth court this month to deliver a setback to anti-Trump activists who are trying to keep the GOP presidential front-runner off state ballots in 2024.
John Castro, a long-shot presidential candidate, had filed cases arguing that Mr. Trump is prevented from running for president due to the Constitution’s insurrection clause, which essentially says anyone who led a rebellion can’t serve in federal office.
But on Monday, Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr., an Obama appointee, dismissed Mr. Castro’s case in Rhode Island. The Supreme Court previously refused to hear a challenge from Mr. Castro out of Florida.
“The American people have the unassailable right to vote for the candidate of their choosing at the ballot box, something the Democrats and their allies driving these cases clearly disagree with,” said Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung. “President Trump believes the American voters, not the courts, should decide who wins next year’s elections and we urge a swift dismissal of all such remaining bogus ballot challenges.”
It’s the latest victory for Mr. Trump. Liberal advocacy groups have appealed lower court rulings in Colorado and Michigan that would keep Mr. Trump on the primary ballot next year, asserting that the Constitution’s clause on insurrection forbids him from being reelected following the 2021 Capitol attack.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a left-leaning watchdog group, filed an appeal on behalf of a group of voters with the Colorado Supreme Court, after a trial judge rejected their claim that Mr. Trump can’t be on the state’s primary ballot. The state’s Supreme Court is expected to hear the case on Dec. 6.
The judge in Colorado reasoned that Mr. Trump did engage in an insurrection, but that the insurrection clause of the Constitution preventing rebels from serving in office didn’t apply to the presidency.
Earlier this month, a Michigan judge gave the former president a partial win, saying Michigan’s secretary of state can’t keep his name off the 2024 primary ballot.
Opponents of the president have also appealed that decision, asking the Michigan Supreme Court to issue a decision by Friday as they try to bypass an appeals court.
The Minnesota Supreme Court also dismissed a case on Nov. 8 in an order, saying it couldn’t prevent the state party from putting Mr. Trump’s name on their ballot. It left the general election issue to be decided at a later date, saying advocates can renew their challenge.
New Hampshire officials have also moved to keep Mr. Trump on the ballot there.
Though Mr. Trump is facing several indictments, he has not been charged or convicted of leading an insurrection during the attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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