CHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s Office has moved to intervene on behalf of the State in a lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, which seeks to keep former President Donald J. Trump off the ballot for the West Virginia Presidential Primary and General Elections. This case is one of many, as activists across the country are suing to prevent Trump from being on 2024 ballots.
Activist and longshot presidential candidate John Anthony Castro filed the lawsuit, citing Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution as the basis of his case. Castro contends that Trump is ineligible to be a candidate for President of the United States on the grounds that he allegedly “engaged in or provided ‘aid or comfort’ to an insurrection.”
“Excluding an eligible candidate from the ballot deprives citizens of the choice for themselves who they want to represent them in every level of government and impedes a fair and free election process,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “Any eligible candidate has the right to be on the ballot unless legally disqualified, and we will defend the laws of West Virginia and the right of voters and candidates to the fullest.”
As the motion explains, Attorney General Morrisey has sought to intervene on behalf of the State to ensure that West Virginians will in fact have the “right to cast a vote for the candidate of their choosing.”
To date, states that have similar cases include Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma. Similar challenges are anticipated in the near future as the 2024 election cycle begins in January.
