House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., released a statement Tuesday night, blasting the ruling of the Colorado Supreme Court to disqualify Donald Trump from the state's primary as "unprecedented, constant and illegal election interference."
Stefanik was one of several Republicans who swiftly condemned the 4-3 ruling handed down by the seven justices, all of whom were appointed by Democrat governors, that bars Trump from being on the ballot over the rarely used and vaguely worded 14th Amendment regarding rebellion by public officials.
"Four partisan Democrat operatives on the Colorado Supreme Court think they get to decide for all Coloradans and Americans the next presidential election. This is unAmerican and Democrats are so afraid that President Trump will win on Nov 5th 2024 that they are illegally attempting to take him off the ballot," Stefanik wrote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called the decision "reckless."
"Today's ruling attempting to disqualify President Trump from the Colorado ballot is nothing but a thinly veiled partisan attack. Regardless of political affiliation, every citizen registered to vote should not be denied the right to support our former president and the individual who is the leader in every poll of the Republican primary," Johnson said in a statement. "We trust the U.S. Supreme Court will set aside this reckless decision and let the American people decide the next President of the United States."
One of Trump's opponents in the Republican primary, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, decried the ruling and vowed to withdraw from Colorado's GOP primary as long as Trump's name is not on the ballot.
"I pledge to withdraw from the Colorado GOP primary unless Trump is also allowed to be on the state's ballot, and I demand that Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, and Nikki Haley to do the same immediately – or else they are tacitly endorsing this illegal maneuver which will have disastrous consequences for our country," Ramaswamy said in a statement.
The condemnation from conservatives poured in quickly.
"This is insane. In the US, we don't allow political hacks to kick their 'enemies' off the ballot because they disagree with them. If this is the path that radical Dems choose to weaponize the courts against conservatives, we are no better than the socialist regimes in VZ & Cuba," Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott said in a post.
"The 'pro-democracy' party at work. How ridiculous," said House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in a post.
Conservatives then called on the Supreme Court of the United States to quickly overturn the partisan ruling.
"Colorado Supreme Court, by a vote of 4-3, beclowns itself and its state. SCOTUS should move quickly to reverse this idiocy. The politicization of courts at all levels is greatly damaging to the rule of law. It should a 9-0 reversal and it should be quick," conservative syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt posted to X.
This lawless, cynical ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court will not stand," posted Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
"Removing Trump from the ballot in Colorado under this theory is spurious, likely unconstitutional, & a sadly predictable, but outrageous form of lawfare. SCOTUS should end this, posted Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.
And this from Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.:
"Democrats are trying to imprison their chief political opponent and have now apparently succeeded at removing him from the ballot. This is what dictators do. I'm confident that the U.S. Supreme Court will not allow this egregious ruling to stand. The American people will decide their next president, not activist judges in Colorado," he posted.
"This ruling is garbage. This WILL be appealed to the Supreme Court & the Supreme Court WILL reverse it," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said in a post.
"In an unprecedented decision, partisan judges on the CO SCOTUS just REMOVED the leading presidential candidate from the ballot. Overturning over a century of judicial precedent. This is HISTORIC election interference. SCOTUS MUST overrule," Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kari Lake said in a post.
More reaction:
"The U.S. has put sanctions on other countries for doing exactly what the Colorado Supreme Court has done today," Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said in a post.
"Colorado now tips to the "leans Trump" category after the communists on the court use the Constitution as toilet paper," conservative radio host Dan Bongino posted.
Even former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, arguably the toughest critic of Trump's on the stump, said this is not how it should work.
"What I will say is I do not believe Donald Trump should be prevented from being President of the United States, by any court," Christie said in a statement. "I think he should be prevented from being the President of the United States by the voters of this country."