Supreme Court rejects appeal by former New Mexico county commissioner banned for Jan. 6 insurrection
Source: AP
Updated 9:41 AM EDT, March 18, 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal from a former New Mexico county commissioner who was kicked out of office over his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Former Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin, a cowboy pastor who rode to national political fame by embracing then-President Donald Trump with a series of horseback caravans, is the only elected official thus far to be banned from office in connection with the Capitol attack, which disrupted Congress as it was trying to certify Joe Bidens 2020 electoral victory over Trump.
At a 2022 trial in state district court, Griffin received the first disqualification from office in over a century under a provision of the 14th Amendment written to prevent former Confederates from serving in government after the Civil War.
Though the Supreme Court ruled this month that states dont have the ability to bar Trump or other candidates for federal offices from the ballot, the justices said different rules apply to state and local candidates. We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office, the justices wrote in an unsigned opinion.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-insurrection-capitol-attack-new-mexico-cc69572ec4a4404c69947d7d91b3960a
PA needs to do this to the loon Doug Mastriano (R) (PA Senate District 33).
Turbineguy
(37,483 posts)or at least claimed to be a close relative.
2naSalit
(87,234 posts)duhneece
(4,139 posts)Im probably the only DUer who has the dishonor to be in his former District
niyad
(114,360 posts)LeftInTX
(26,021 posts)In Texas, you must reside in your district for a year, for a congressional race, you don't even need to reside at all.
Also in Texas, convicted felons are not allowed to run for state and local races. However, convicted felons can run for Congress and US Senate. US President because federal law determines who is eligible and there are no federal laws banning felons from filing.
BumRushDaShow
(130,790 posts)is the "modern" use of a Civil War-era U.S. Constitutional clause for a state race. And since it went all the way to the SCOTUS and January 6 had all kinds of people who were "state-elected officials" or want to "run for a state office" who participated in the insurrection, then this is a way to toss those people off the ballot.
LeftInTX
(26,021 posts)The SC wasn't going to dive into their laws/rules etc.
BumRushDaShow
(130,790 posts)but in this case, CO used the 14th Amendment Clause 3 to kick Cuoy out and keep him off the ballot and that is what the SCOTUS just deferred to the appellate court allowing that reason - https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-faces-14th-amendment-suits-cuoy-griffin-speaks/story?id=103009491
former9thward
(32,259 posts)Griffin represented himself at the hearing and did not argue the insurrection clause. He was not represented by a lawyer. And then when he went to appeal he turned it in late. So it was denied on those grounds. The merit of his case has never been argued in an actual court.
keopeli
(3,535 posts)Novara
(5,912 posts)Emphasis mine.
BumRushDaShow
(130,790 posts)"President" isn't in there, and then got into the weeds about whether the President was actually "an officer" and other cherry-picked nonsense.
LeftInTX
(26,021 posts)It was local government who removed him as he was a county commissioner.
We had a local guy removed after being charged with a DUI. He wasn't even convicted.
Novara
(5,912 posts)Face it, the corrupt SCOTUS re-wrote the Constitution to protect Day One Dictator and only him.
Hermit-The-Prog
(33,773 posts)duhneece
(4,139 posts)💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻
CousinIT
(9,318 posts)they want to rule on whether HE is immune or not.
Pfft.
BumRushDaShow
(130,790 posts)unfortunately.
Meaning as much as it needs to be done here in PA to Scott Perry (PA-10) (the insurrectionist Congressman whose phone was taken), it obviously can't be (which is why the example I have in the OP comments is about a loon State Senator here).
NanaCat
(1,842 posts)It wasn't a federal office, so the local government could determine who qualified for their ballot.