A judge in Washington State has ruled against an effort to remove Republican frontrunner Donald J. Trump from the ballot, another defeat for activists seeking to influence the 2024 election through the use of lawfare and the abuse of the courts to achieve a desired political outcome.
On Thursday, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson rejected the effort of eight registered voters who sought to disqualify the all but certain GOP nominee from appearing on the state’s primary ballot.
The court was petitioned to deny the former and perhaps future president ballot access under the highly questionable legal theory based on the Civil War era 14th Amendment that has spurred similar efforts in other states, including Colorado which booted Trump last month, followed by a unilateral move to do the same by Maine’s ultra-leftist secretary of state.
Following a hearing that reportedly lasted less than two hours, Judge Wilson dropped her gavel on the matter, a win for Trump whose fate in Colorado will be determined by the U.S. Supreme Court which agreed to hear the case next month.
“Wilson emphasized that state law says a ballot challenge must be filed within two days of the candidate list being finalized and required her to make a decision within five days of the challenge being filed,” according to The Seattle Times.
“The court determines that the secretary of state acted consistent with his duties,” Wilson said in court. “An order directing the secretary of state to take different action, an order from this court, is simply not supported by the statutes and not supported by the affidavit of the electors.”
“No matter what your party is… this is a win for democracy,” Washington State Republican Party chair wrote on X. “Some people will say this is about Trump, we say it’s about the democratic process. And a win for democracy today.”
“No matter what your party is… this is a win for democracy.”
“Some people will say this is about Trump, we say it’s about the democratic process. And a win for democracy today.” Hear more from Chairman Jim Walsh pic.twitter.com/QCObE3vD6E
— Washington State GOP (@WAGOP) January 18, 2024
Team Trump also cheered Judge Wilson’s decision.
“Today, Washington state court ruled to keep President Trump’s name on the primary election ballot. Washington’s decision mirrors similar decisions in over a dozen federal courts as well as state courts in Michigan, Minnesota and Oregon,” the former president’s campaign said in a statement. “Although the judge made the correct decision in this matter, we remain steadfast in our opposition to these cases, which are orchestrated by Democrat Party allies of failed president Crooked Joe Biden and we resolve to fight any and all remaining bad-faith, election-interfering sham cases wherever they reside.”
Statement on Washington Ruling That Keeps President Trump on the Ballot pic.twitter.com/6Sn9jwloPt
— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) January 18, 2024
“We believe that a fair ruling on the issues in front of the Supreme Court of the United States will ultimately put all of these unconstitutional misinterpretations of the 14th Amendment to rest, preserving American voting rights,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said. “President Trump looks forward to being reelected to the presidency this Fall as we all work together to Make America Great Again.”
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.