John, Common Cause has just filed our brief before the Supreme Court urging them to disqualify Donald Trump under the 14th Amendment.
Because your dedication makes our work possible, I wanted to share a few key points with you – and ask for your help to keep this fight going.
A bit of background: last December, the Colorado Supreme Court issued three key findings after a week-long trial:
- Donald Trump engaged in insurrection against the United States when he incited the January 6th attack to overturn the election he lost.
- When someone breaks their oath of office by inciting an insurrection, they must be barred from future office under the 14th Amendment – even if they’re a former President.
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Therefore, Donald Trump must be removed from the Colorado ballot – in the primary and the general.
That landmark ruling immediately provoked a response from Trump, who appealed it to the Supreme Court. And now, Common Cause is answering Trump’s claims with a few fact-based arguments of our own:
First and foremost, no one is above the law, period. Our laws are meant to apply to everyone equally – no matter how famous you are, how much money you make, or what kind of job you have. That includes Donald Trump.
Our Constitution – and especially our 14th Amendment – were written to protect our country from insurrectionists and demagogues who were willing to use violence to get their way. We simply cannot afford to ignore the lessons of the past.
To deny the vote of the people, to defy over 60 court findings affirming the results of the election, to repeatedly stoke armed and angry followers to “fight” to overturn the election results – these are clear-cut acts of insurrection that demand a serious response.
But this case is about more than just Donald Trump: it’s about your right to vote and mine. And the fact is, our rights are
NOT safe when candidates who lose elections can stoke violence in an
attempt to nullify votes and subvert the peaceful transfer of power.
Now, we have a chance to defend the finality of the people's vote – in front of the Supreme Court. If you’d like to know more about this case brought by Common Cause Board Chair Martha Tierney and our friends at CREW, you can read our full brief on our website. [1]
But first, John, I need to ask if you can step up to help us keep this effort going. That’s because whether we win or lose this case, our democracy is at risk like never before.
This is the first major confrontation of 2024, but not the last – and I don’t need to tell you how important it is that we see each one of them through. Can you chip in $3 or more to support this effort?
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When voters made their decision in 2020, Donald Trump didn’t agree – so he tried to usurp American voters with an armed attack on the Capitol.
So if you agree that directing armed attackers to challenge an election deserves nothing less than a full constitutional response, I hope you’ll join me in taking action.
I’m glad to know you’re on our side,
Aly Belknap, Colorado Executive Director
and the team at Common Cause
P.S. Join us on Tuesday, February 13 for a special online briefing where Common Cause & Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) will dig into the final stage of the case to disqualify Trump from the Colorado ballot. Bring your questions and your friends!
[1] https://www.commoncause.org/resource/anderson-amicus-brief/
