The Supreme Court has decided not to hear the appeal of a former New Mexico county commissioner who was removed from office due to his involvement in the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol. This case bears similarities to a recent ruling involving former President Donald Trump.
Cowboys for Trump founder and convicted Capitol rioter Couy Griffin was ousted from office in 2022, marking the first instance of an elected official being removed under the 14th Amendment's 'insurrectionist ban' following the Capitol riot. The Supreme Court's decision means that Griffin's disqualification from office will remain in effect.
In a unanimous decision on March 4, the Supreme Court sided with Trump in a related case. The court ruled that states do not have the authority to remove a candidate from the ballot based on their statements before the Capitol attack, stating that such responsibility lies with Congress.
However, the court clarified that states can enforce the insurrectionist ban against individuals seeking or holding state office. Griffin was removed from his county position by a New Mexico state judge after being found guilty of trespassing on Capitol grounds in a bench trial.
Griffin's disqualification was upheld in a civil trial later that year, with a state judge determining that his actions on January 6 constituted an insurrection and violated his oath as a commissioner. Griffin was officially removed from office in September 2022.
Despite his conviction and disqualification, Griffin has been vocal in criticizing the process that led to his removal and has drawn parallels to the cases involving Trump. He has expressed his belief that he was targeted as a test case, with the ultimate goal of implicating Trump in similar proceedings.
Griffin, a well-known right-wing conspiracy theorist, gained further attention in June 2022 when he refused to certify the legitimate results of primary elections in his county, citing unfounded claims of election irregularities and sparking a confrontation with state election authorities.
