DENVER (AP) — The Colorado judge overseeing the first significant lawsuit to bar former President Donald Trump from the state’s 2024 presidential ballot on Friday issued a protective order prohibiting threats and intimidation in the case, saying the safety of those involved — including herself and her staff — was necessary as the groundbreaking litigation moves forward.
“I 100% understand everybody’s concerns for the parties, the lawyers, and frankly myself and my staff based on what we’ve seen in other cases,” District Judge Sarah B. Wallace said as she agreed to the protective order.
The order prohibits parties in the case from making threatening or intimidating statements. Scott Gessler, a former Colorado secretary of state representing Trump in the case, opposed it. He said a protective order was unnecessary because threats and intimidation already are prohibited by law.
The question, though, is, “Will it be enforced?”
The bigger question is, is this legal at all? Why can the government tell a private citizen that he can’t be on the ballot of a private club? It doesn’t matter what the private citizen did or didn’t do, the government can’t ban other people from associating with him.
What kind of “Private club” do you think this article is about?
The Primary Election is for a private club that is not regulated by voting laws except for the public ballot access regulations of the specific state.