Gauging the Fallout From the Colorado Court Ruling Against Trump

The Colorado Supreme Court's ruling that Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the presidential ballot and hold the office of president will only further crystalize the global perception that U.S. institutional and democratic strength is weakening, forcing Washington's global partners to shore up self-reliance, while giving authoritarian states more fodder to crack down on opponents. If the decision stands, it will also increase the risk of political violence in the United States next year. In a 4-3 ruling released on Dec. 19, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, was disqualified from holding the office of president and is thus ineligible to be placed on the state's March 5 presidential primary ballot. The court found that Trump's actions related to the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, amounted to engaging in an insurrection, thus restricting him from office under the Fourteenth...