OLYMPIA – For the second time in a week, an effort to remove former President Donald J. Trump’s name off of the March 12 primary ballot has been tossed out of court.
Kitsap County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Bassett refused to hear the case in his court on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Then on Thursday, Jan. 18, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson tossed the challenge.
The lawsuit was filed by eight Kitsap County residents who alleged the former president isn’t eligible to run for federal office, citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. Under the amendment, would-be politicians can be barred from federal office if they engaged in insurrection or aided in an insurrection.
The petitioners claimed Section 3 applied to former President Trump because of his apparent supporters of Jan. 6, 2020, protesters because that event was an “insurrection.”
To date, nobody involved in that protest, nor Trump, have been charged or convicted of the crime of insurrection.
The state of Colorado, so far, is the only state where a court has found cause to remove Trump from the ballot. That ruling has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
As a result of that case, Judge Wilson said it’s “premature” to bar Trump’s name from the ballot.
March 12 presidential primary ballots are scheduled to be in the hands of voters Feb. 23.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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