A Cook County judge on Wednesday ordered former President Donald Trump’s name off Illinois’ primary ballot. But early voting for the March 19 primary election is already underway.
So what does the judge’s ruling mean?
First of all, Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter put her ruling on hold until Friday. She did so expecting Trump’s lawyers to appeal — and they say they intend to do so quickly.
The judge also said her ruling would remain on hold if the U.S. Supreme Court hands down a ruling “inconsistent” with hers in a case dealing with a similar decision in Colorado.
So for now, nothing has changed at the ballot box. If Porter’s ruling does go into effect, she ordered that “any votes cast” for Trump “be suppressed” through administrative procedures.
But Porter acknowledged that her ruling likely won’t be the final word on the matter. Once Trump’s lawyers appeal, what happens next will likely depend on action by the First District Appellate Court, the Illinois Supreme Court or even the U.S. Supreme Court.
The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to rule on the Colorado question soon — and appeared skeptical of the arguments to kick Trump off Colorado’s ballot. The clock is ticking on the nation’s high court given that Colorado’s primary election is Tuesday.
Attorneys challenging Trump’s candidacy in Illinois have insisted that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling will not completely resolve their case, though. Rather, they say the Illinois case also involves matters of state law and will eventually reach the Illinois Supreme Court.
