A Cook County judge on Wednesday ordered the Illinois Board of Elections to remove former President Donald Trump from the Illinois primary ballot – but also put the order on hold, pending a likely appeal.
Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie R. Porter issued the ruling Wednesday – but stayed the ruling until Friday in anticipation of an appeal to the Illinois Appellate or Supreme Court.
The primary is on March 19.
Mr. Trump's campaign spokesman Steven Cheung responded quickly, saying, "This is an unconstitutional ruling that we will quickly appeal."
Illinois is one of several states considering disqualifying former President Trump because of his role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 – and whether that could be considered an insurrection.
The case hinges on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars officials who have sworn to support the Constitution from serving in government if they engage in insurrection. The provision was enacted in 1868 to prevent former Confederates from holding office – and laid mostly dormant for more than 150 years.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment – also known as the insurrection clause of the disqualification clause – had never in the nation's history been used to disqualify a presidential candidate until December.
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