Colorado Supreme Court disqualifies Donald Trump from presidential primary ballot

Former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures and former first lady Melania Trump. [File, Reuters]

U.S. Colorado Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump be removed from the state's 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot.

The Trump campaign vowed that they "will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court."

"A majority of the court holds that Trump is disqualified from holding the office of president under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment," the court wrote in its 4-3 decision, referring to a rarely used provision of the U.S. Constitution that bars officials who have engaged in "insurrection or rebellion" from holding office.

The Colorado court said the ruling is stayed until Jan. 4, 2024, to allow for appeals.

It marks the first time in history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate, and also the first time a U.S. state court has ruled that Trump, who holds a wide lead in the Republican 2024 nominating contest, should be disqualified from the 2024 presidential election.

It's a near-certainty the case will head to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Denver Post predicted, adding Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's campaign, promised to file an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court soon.