Colorado secretary of state and other leftists are glum over SCOTUS ballot decision: 'It will be up to the American voters'

President Joe Biden's top political rival will appear on the ballot in the Centennial State, to the chagrin of Democrats and other leftists who routinely express concerns about threats to democracy.

The Democrat-appointed justices on the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in December that former President Donald Trump could not appear on the ballot in the state. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed that decision Monday, underscoring that Congress, not the states, is "responsible for enforcing Section 3 [of the 14th Amendment] against federal officeholders and candidates."

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold made her disappointment known in liberal circles while her defeated equivalent in Maine walked back a similar effort to disenfranchise voters.

Griswold, a Democrat, told Scripps News last year that she believed the Colorado "court's decision was right."

"I believe that Jan. 6 was an insurrection, and I'll go even further in saying that Trump incited it," said Griswold. "So the wording of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment is clear: It says that any person that swears to uphold the Constitution, and then engages in insurrection or rebellion, subsequently cannot hold office."

After her understanding of the Constitution was found wanting by the U.S. Supreme Court Monday, Griswold told Politico, "It's concerning that federal candidates, at this point, can engage in insurrection and then face no accountability for ballot access."

"This decision did not surprise me, given the oral arguments," said Griswold. "I'm disappointed; I think states under federalism should be able to enforce the clear words [of Section 3]."

Griswold added that "it's up to the American people to save democracy in November," echoing Biden's go-to insinuation that democracy is reliant upon the empowerment of a single political party.

The Colorado secretary recycled these remarks on MSNBC, again underscoring her disappointment over the high court's ruling in Andersonv. Griswold ruling. However, Griswold went on to denigrate the one political body constitutionally permitted to take that action she previously figured executable by a partisan state court.

"Ultimately this decision ... leaves open the door for Congress to act, to pass authorizing legislation," said Griswold. "But we know that Congress is a nearly non-functioning body."

Since neither Democrat-appointed justices in Colorado nor lawmakers in the nation's capital will be able to prevent voters from casting ballots for Trump, Griswold reiterated that the fate of the nation "will be up to the American voters."

Griswold was evidently not the only liberal upset over the high court's ruling.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the liberal activist group that represented the petitioners in the Colorado case, similarly did not take the loss well.

CREW president Noah Bookbinder, up until recently a member of the Biden Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Advisory Council, said, "The Supreme Court removed an enforcement mechanism, and in letting Trump back on the ballot, they failed to meet the moment."

Like Griswold, Bookbinder suggested it is once again "up to the American people to ensure accountability."

While Bookbinder stressed that "this was in no way a win for Trump," he will be on the ballots today in two other states that disqualified the Republican front-runner.

Maine Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows issued a modified ruling Monday walking back her Dec. 28 disqualification of Trump, wherein she stressed, "Democracy is sacred."

"I have reviewed the Anderson decision carefully. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that individual states lack authority to enforce Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment with respect to federal offices," wrote Bellows. "Consistent with my oath and obligation to follow the law and the Constitution, and pursuant to the Anderson decision, I hereby withdraw my determination that Mr. Trump's primary petition is invalid."

Votes cast for Trump in Tuesday's primary will, as a result, be counted.

It's also game over for the Section 3-based disqualification in Illinois, where a Democratic judge heavily based her removal ruling on the Colorado Supreme Court's arguments. Consequently, Trump will be on the primary ballot on March 19 in the Prairie State.

Free Speech for People, the leftist advocacy group that represented the five men who petitioned to have Trump removed from the ballot in Illinois, said in a statement following the Anderson ruling, "The U.S. Supreme Court today has made a mockery of Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

The group suggested further that the ruling was "dangerous."

"This decision is disgraceful," said Rob Fein, the legal director of the leftist outfit. "The Supreme Court couldn't exonerate Trump because the evidence of his guilt was overwhelming, so instead the Justices neutered our Constitution’s built-in defense against insurrectionists and said the facts don't matter."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!