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In her ruling, issued on Wednesday, Cook County Circuit Judge
Tracie Porter sided with Illinois voters who argued Trump should
be disqualified from the state's March 19 primary ballot and its
Nov. 5 general election ballot.
Trump filed a notice of appeal on Thursday to Illinois' 1st
District Appellate Court the day after a Trump campaign
spokesperson said Porter's decision was unconstitutional.
Porter found that Trump violated the anti-insurrection clause of
the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment, which bars from public
office anyone who took an oath to support Constitution and then
has "engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or
given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."
Porter had immediately stayed her ruling in anticipation of
Trump's appeal.
The U.S. Supreme Court will probably decide the final outcome of
the Illinois case and similar challenges. The top court heard
arguments related to Trump's ballot eligibility on Feb. 8.
The advocacy group Free Speech For People, which spearheaded the
Illinois disqualification effort, had no immediate comment on
Trump's appeal.
Colorado and Maine have also removed Trump from their state
ballots after determining he is disqualified under the
Constitution. Both decisions are on hold while Trump appeals.
On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump supporters attacked police and swarmed
the Capitol in a bid to prevent Congress from certifying
Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. Trump gave an
incendiary speech beforehand, telling supporters to go to the
Capitol and "fight like hell." For hours, he did not act on
requests that he urge the mob to stop.
The Supreme Court is currently weighing Trump's challenge to his
Colorado disqualification. The justices in Washington appeared
skeptical of the decision during oral arguments in the case,
expressing concerns about states taking sweeping actions that
could affect the national election.
(Reporting by Paul Grant and David Thomas; editing by Rami Ayyub,
David Bario and David Gregorio)
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