The Columbian is surely correct that the best way to keep Donald Trump from returning to the White House is to defeat him next November (“Colorado ruling on Trump symbolic and troubling,” In Our View, Dec. 21).
I missed clarity on two other points. First, the Colorado Supreme Court ruling is “troubling” because it is premature. The court could have been helpful had it said, “Donald Trump is not above the law, but he is entitled to due process of law. He is innocent until proven guilty. Until a separate trial finds him guilty of insurrection, the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, section 3, is not germane.”
Secondly, we need to rebuild trust, among all citizens, and especially for public institutions. Donald Trump’s supporters do not trust the impartiality of our courts, and the existence of such suspicion is a dire threat to our democracy. The court should have followed the rubric, “First, do no harm.” Its ruling may, sadly, serve to validate Trump supporters’ worst fears about our courts.
The constant quandary for those of us who oppose authoritarianism is how to block the path to power of those who would break rules and norms without breaking them ourselves. The times call for all citizens — and courts — to behave in a conspicuously trustworthy manner.
