The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said in a statement to the press on Monday that it is assisting local law enforcement in investigating threats against the Colorado Supreme Court. The announcement comes almost a week after the court disqualified former US President Donald Trump from the state’s primary ballot for the 2024 presidential race.
The Denver Police Department (DPD) recently responded to a threat at one of the Colorado Supreme Court justice’s residence, which turned out to be a hoax. The DPD is still conducting a thorough investigation, stressing the importance of maintaining security and privacy during such sensitive situations.
FBI Public Affairs Officer Vikki Migoya, in a statement to CNN, articulated the bureau’s commitment to addressing these threats, saying, “We will vigorously pursue investigations of any threat or use of violence committed by someone who uses extremist views to justify their actions regardless of motivation.”
Nongovernmental organization Advance Democracy compiled a report on the spike in violent rhetoric against the court, noting similarities in the response to the FBI raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and gag orders issued against the former president in his ongoing criminal trials. The report, obtained by NBC News, also described how some social media users have obtained the justices’ email addresses, phone numbers and office building addresses.
Last week, the Colorado Supreme Court, in a closely split 4-3 decision, determined that Trump is not a “qualified candidate” for the upcoming 2024 presidential race. This ruling was predicated on the judgment that Trump had “engaged in insurrection,” thus violating Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution. As a result, he was removed from the state’s Republican primary ballot, overturning a prior district court ruling that did not find Trump’s actions sufficient for disqualification under the same constitutional provision.