Threats against judges who decided that Donald Trump could not be included on the Colorado presidential primary ballot are being looked into by police in the state.
Denver Police announced that they were stepping up their patrols around the city’s justices’ residences.
Denver FBI said it was supporting local law enforcement.
The US Constitution forbids candidates who participate in rebellion, and Colorado’s Supreme Court decided last week that Mr. Trump is ineligible due to this provision.
Trump and his team denounced the 4-3 ruling as “deeply flawed” and promised to file an appeal with the US Supreme Court.
The 14th Amendment’s Section 3, which was written following the American Civil War to prevent Confederate secessionists from regaining power in the united nation, was cited in the verdict.
Any official who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” is prohibited from holding federal office, according to this clause.
The Colorado court’s majority decided that Mr. Trump’s behavior during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot constituted insurrection.
Many threats against the judges were made public online following the announcement of the verdict, according to Advance Democracy, an unbiased research organization that keeps an eye on pro-Trump networks.
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According to the group, several of the posters contained the judges’ phone numbers and residences, among other private information.
Threats to shoot and hang the judges were shared on a number of fringe websites, including the Trump-owned Truth Social network, Telegram, and messaging app X. On Tuesday, some were still up, while others had been removed.
There were overt appeals for violence mixed in with requests for nonviolent demonstrations and political action.
“If you live in Colorado, do what the founding fathers ACTUALLY would have wanted,” one user commented. Seize some rope and your weapons.”
Denver Police said it will “thoroughly investigate any reports of threats or harassment” in a statement, but it wouldn’t go into greater detail because of privacy issues and the current investigations.
The president of Advance Democracy, Daniel J. Jones, issued a warning, stating that he has seen “significant violent language and threats being made against the Colorado justices and others perceived to be behind Colorado’s Supreme Court ruling”.
“The normalisation of this type of violent rhetoric is cause for significant concern and it’s appropriate for law enforcement to respond with protective actions,” he stated.
There were unsubstantiated claims that the harsh speech was a “trap” or “false flag” intended to incite law-abiding Trump supporters to commit violence, in addition to threats and warnings of bloodshed and “civil war.”
“I know it’s all a trap,” one user remarked, adding that they would still “cheer” if the judges were the targets of deliberate assault.
A combination of liberal watchdogs and anti-Trump Republican and independent voters filed the Colorado lawsuit.
Mr. Trump has until January 4th to file an appeal of the Colorado verdict, but legal experts predict that it will be difficult to defy the US Supreme Court’s conservative slant.
Republicans who are challenging Mr. Trump have united behind him on this issue, and Democrats fear that the court’s decision would bolster the former president’s claims that the legal system is unfairly singled out for his criticism.
Throughout the long weekend, Trump himself made numerous posts on Truth Social, attacking the Colorado ruling as well as the numerous other lawsuits brought against him.
