(PJ Media) On Wednesday, Judge Tracie Porter of Cook County, Ill., issued an order stating that the State Board of Elections “shall remove Donald J. Trump from the ballot for the General Primary Election on March 19, 2024, or cause any votes cast for him to be suppressed.”
Last year, left-wing groups launched a nationwide effort to exclude Trump from primary ballots, citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. While most states have rejected these attempts, in December, the Colorado Supreme Court declared Trump ineligible. Maine’s Secretary of State eventually followed suit. Last month, the Illinois State Board of Elections ruled it lacked the authority to remove Trump from the ballot over alleged violations of the 14th Amendment. Judge Porter’s ruling unilaterally overturned their ruling.
Porter’s order has been stayed, and Trump has until Friday to appeal, which the Trump campaign has already announced it intends to do.
“The Soros-funded Democrat front-groups continue to attempt to interfere in the election and deny President Trump his rightful place on the ballot,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement received by PJ Media. “Today, an activist Democrat judge in Illinois summarily overruled the state’s board of elections and contradicted earlier decisions from dozens of other state and federal jurisdictions. This is an unconstitutional ruling that we will quickly appeal. In the meantime, President Trump remains on the Illinois ballot, is dominating the polls, and will Make America Great Again!”
Porter acknowledged in her ruling that she was aware that her “decision could not be the ultimate outcome,” given that the Supreme Court has already heard oral arguments on this issue and is expected to rule on it soon. It is widely agreed that the Supreme Court would overturn the Colorado State Supreme Court and settle the issue, which makes Porter’s actions not only destined to fail but also a transparent attempt to pander to the left for some self-serving purpose.
