Dear John,
I have great news about a major new court ruling Common Cause and our New Mexico partners helped support.
It’s a groundbreaking legal strategy – one that could set precedent to bar Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Green, Lauren Boebert, and other unapologetic insurrectionists from holding office ever again.
You see, we filed a legal brief in support of holding convicted January 6th insurrectionist, “Cowboys For Trump” founder, and New Mexico County Commissioner Couy Griffin accountable for his actions against American democracy. [1]
But just this week, the court ruled that under the 14th Amendment, Griffin must be removed and permanently barred from holding office, effective immediately. [2]
This landmark ruling is a HUGE victory for accountability and defending democracy – and among the most important legal responses against January 6th insurrectionists to date.
It relies a part of our Constitution added after the Civil War – meant to deny public office to the Confederates who committed treason to maintain chattel slavery. But now, a court has ruled it also applies to Griffin – and anyone else who violated their oath to uphold our Constitution.
As you well know, Couy Griffin isn’t the only person implicated in January 6th – let alone the only election denier – who is in office or on the ballot. [3]
After all, that attack was incited by President Trump and his political allies – who sought to overturn a legitimate election with violence. Democracy won’t defend itself from this new threat – and we’ll need your action and vigilance to hold all involved accountable.
Now, John, we’ve just received a powerful new legal tool to get it done. Any official who swore an oath to support the Constitution – but then broke that oath and “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” – can be permanently blocked from holding office.
Here’s why that matters: even after getting convicted, Griffin abused his position to peddle Trump’s discredited conspiracy theories. In fact, he refused to certify the 2022 primary results in his state for months, based on what he himself admitted was just a “gut feeling.”
And, the fact Griffin almost got away with that plot is terrifying. If he had, this could have become the blueprint for the far-right to overturn any result they didn’t like this November, in the 2024 presidential race, or any other election.
Now, thanks to this hard-hitting legal action we supported with a “friend of the court” brief, Griffin will never hold political office again. But you and I both know our work must continue beyond him.
John, I need your help to step up our efforts for accountability. We called on the Senate to impeach Trump for a second time after January 6th in part because accountability and defending democracy is so essential to our mission.
And the fact is, this new ruling could eventually be used to bar President Trump himself from office for his complicity in that attack.
But, fighting those legal battles will take monumental resources. Our work for accountability is not quick or easy. But even when the odds seem stacked against us, we need to keep pushing -- because victories like this one only come after diligent effort.
It will take each of our ongoing, active support to make sure something like January 6th never happens again – but this week’s MAJOR legal victory proves we can get results. Can you chip in $3 or more today to help us push this work forward?
We can’t forget that public officials have a sworn duty to their constituents – and we simply cannot allow them to abuse that power in a manner that is so dangerous to a core pillar of our democracy – free and fair elections.
Thanks for all you do,
Karen Hobert Flynn, President
and the team at Common Cause
[1] https://www.commoncause.org/new-mexico/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2022/09/22.08.24-Common-Cause-Amicus-Brief-CGriffin-Quo-Warranto-w-Exhibits-1.pdf
[2] https://www.commoncause.org/new-mexico/press-release/couy-griffin-ruling-elected-officials-cant-just-snub-noses-at-constitution/
[3] https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/republicans-trump-election-fraud/
