Supreme Court Rejects Former New Mexico Official Banned After Jan. 6 Riot
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday tossed an appeal by a former New Mexico state official barred from office after he was involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol Building.
Former Otero County commissioner Couy Griffin, a cowboy pastor whose claim to fame was endorsing former President Donald Trump with several horseback caravans, is a former Otero County commissioner and the only elected official barred from office under the “insurrection” provision of the 14th Amendment, the Associated Press reported.
During a 2022 trial in a state district court, Griffin became the first individual in over a century to be disqualified from office under a provision of the 14th Amendment aimed at preventing former Confederates from holding government positions after the Civil War.
Despite the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that states cannot prevent Trump or other federal office candidates from appearing on the ballot, the justices clarified that distinct rules apply to state and local candidates, the AP report noted.
“We conclude that states may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office,” the justices wrote in an opinion that was not signed. (Read more from “Supreme Court Rejects Former New Mexico Official Banned After Jan. 6 Riot” HERE)
