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Judge Denies Effort to Remove Trump From the Ballot in Washington State
Voters had sought to disqualify the former president under the 14th Amendment, following the lead of Colorado and Maine.
By Drew Atkins and Mike Baker
Drew Atkins reported from Olympia, Wash., and Mike Baker from Seattle.
Jan. 18, 2024, 2:56 p.m. ET
A judge in Washington State said on Thursday that former President Donald J. Trumpās name could remain on the stateās primary ballot. The ruling was the latest in a series of battles nationwide over whether Mr. Trumpās efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat make him ineligible to hold the presidency again.
A group of voters had filed a legal challenge asking state officials in Washington to leave Mr. Trump off the Republican primary ballot. But Judge Mary Sue Wilson said that Washingtonās secretary of state had acted āconsistent with his dutiesā by including Mr. Trump.
Formal challenges to Mr. Trumpās candidacy have been filed in at least 35 states, according to a New York Times review of court records and other documents. So far, he has been disqualified in only two states: Colorado, by an appeals court ruling, and Maine, by the secretary of state.
The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in Mr. Trumpās appeal of the Colorado decision on Feb. 8. The case could determine his eligibility for the ballot nationally.
As in other states, the voters in Washington argued that Mr. Trumpās actions related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol made him ineligible for office under the 14th Amendment. Steve Hobbs, the secretary of state and Washingtonās top election official, has said he does not believe that he has the power to remove Mr. Trump from the primary ballot on his own.
But Mr. Hobbs has said that court rulings could change his decision. A lawyer representing his office asked Judge Wilson on Thursday for a prompt ruling on the challenge to Mr. Trumpās eligibility, because ballots would be going out later this month to voters in the military and overseas.
A lawyer representing the state Republican Party argued that the case brought by voters was flawed for technical reasons, and also because federal courts had not convicted Mr. Trump of any criminal conduct that would disqualify him.
The issue could return after the primary, depending on Mr. Trumpās legal fortunes. Washington State law allows a voter to seek the removal of a candidate from the general election ballot if that candidate has been convicted of a felony, and Mr. Trump faces 91 felony charges as part of various criminal cases against him.
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In her ruling, Judge Wilson declined, for now, to rule on Mr. Trumpās eligibility for the general election in November.
Lazaro Gamio, Mitch Smith and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting.
Mike Baker is a national reporter for The Times, based in Seattle. More about Mike Baker
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/18/us/politics/trump-ballot-ruling-washington.html
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