Illinois adds itself to the list of states trying to boot Trump from their primary ballot

Cook County judge Tracie Porter handed down an order to the Illinois election board on Wednesday to remove Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballot but then, almost immediately, put her order on hold until Friday with the expectation that he’ll surely appeal.

Co-signing similar moves made by Colorado and Maine, Porter is basing the decision to boot Trump on the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban,” writing, “The court also realizes the magnitude of this decision and its impact on the upcoming primary Illinois elections. The Illinois State Board of Election 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.”

According to the Chicago Sun Times, Caryn Lederer, a lawyer representing the objectors to Trump’s place on Illinois’ ballot, called the judge’s decision a “very important victory” for her group’s cause, adding, “[The judge] has reviewed the extensive body of evidence and determined that he’s disqualified from the presidency. That is a critical decision that is adding to decisions in Colorado and Maine on this point.”

Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung responded to the judge’s ruling calling it “unconstitutional” and the action of “an activist Democrat judge.”