Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

Supreme Court Won’t Review Case Of Official Ousted For ‘Insurrection’

Photo courtesy of Tingey Injury Law Firm

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a case on Monday regarding a New Mexico county commissioner who was ousted after engaging in an “insurrection.”

Couy Griffin, who co-founded the group “Cowboys for Trump,” was removed from his local office after he was convicted for his actions in the crowd at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The Supreme Court denied certiorari in a court order on Monday, without further comment, after Griffin appealed his case in May 2023.

“I just found out (through the media) that my appeal to the SCOTUS has been denied,” Griffin wrote on X. “Very disappointed. I don’t even know what to say. But I thank you for your prayers and for standing with me through this.”

The Supreme Court’s decision not to review Griffin’s case follows its March 4 unanimous ruling that allowed former President Donald Trump to remain on the ballot. The Colorado Supreme Court disqualified the former president from being on the ballot in mid-December on the grounds of allegedly violating the 14th Amendment’s “insurrectionist ban.”

Griffin was optimistic about his case’s chances ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump’s favor, NBC News reported on Feb. 13. However, the Supreme Court’s decision barred states from removing candidates seeking federal office from the ballot, not local positions like Griffin’s.

“We conclude that states may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But states have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the presidency,” the Supreme Court ruled.

The secretary of state in Maine and an Illinois judge also disqualified Trump from the ballot ahead of the Supreme Court’s ruling. Over 60 similar challenges have been filed in numerous other states.