Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over disqualifying former President Donald Trump from Colorado’s 2024 primary ballot because of the 14th Amendment’s insurrectionist clause. But Trump is not the only public official who has been targeted for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Last year, Couy Griffin, the founder of Cowboys for Trump, was removed from his elected position as a county commissioner after he was criminally convicted for entering restricted Capitol grounds three years ago. A federal judge acquitted him of engaging in disorderly conduct.
The ruling from a New Mexico judge marked the first time in more than 150 years that a public official was disqualified under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars anyone from holding office who has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution and engaged in “insurrection or rebellion” against the United States. District Judge Francis Mathew labeled the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol as an insurrection.
Under the ruling, Griffin is barred from running for office in the state again. The decision came after multiple New Mexico residents filed a civil case against him, urging his disqualification due to his role in the Jan. 6 attack.
The New Mexico Supreme Court dismissed Griffin’s appeal in November 2022 and then dismissed a final motion to appeal in February 2023. The former Otero County commissioner appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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The Supreme Court justices are set to decide whether to take up Griffin’s appeal during a private conference on Friday.
During oral arguments in Trump v. Anderson last week, the justices seemed skeptical of the argument that grants Colorado the authority to remove Trump from the state’s primary ballot. If the Supreme Court comes back with a definitive ruling, the verdict would likely end efforts in other states, like Maine, to bar an elected official from holding office under the 14th Amendment. The highest court’s decision and reasoning could apply to Griffin’s case, as well.