A Michigan judge on Tuesday threw cold water on Democratic efforts to defeat former President Donald Trump by keeping him off the ballot in battleground states.

Michigan Court of Claims Judge James Robert Redford determined that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) is prohibited from erasing Trump from the 2024 presidential primary election. She sought to utilize a Civil War-era amendment to bar the Republican frontrunner from state ballots.

Not so fast, ruled Redford.

He determined that the AG must list all candidates running for president on the Michigan primary ballot. This correct conclusion was based on existing state law.

Benson claimed Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment nullified Trump’s candidacy due to the supposed “insurrection” by Jan. 6 protesters. The clause was intended to keep former Confederates from serving in the U.S. government after the war.

Trump to remain on Michigan ballot after judge rejects 14th Amendment challenge to eligibility https://t.co/EpzjX6WA0s

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Redford said that decision is in the hands of Congress. Not only does the legislature have the power to decide how to apply Section Three, it also may remove a disqualification as it did for many former Confederates.

He further asserted that “the question of whether Donald Trump is qualified or disqualified from appearing on the 2024 general election ballot in Michigan is not ripe for adjudication at this time.”

The ruling could dampen a similar effort in Colorado, where Democrats are attempting to remove the former president from the primary ballot. 

A lawsuit filed there in September by a far-left “watchdog” group cited the Fourteenth Amendment as an excuse to deny the electorate the chance to vote for the GOP frontrunner.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington along with six Colorado voters sought Trump’s removal on constitutional grounds. 

Trump’s legal team has filed several motions to dismiss the Colorado case, but to no avail.

Courts in New Hampshire recently blocked a similar Democratic move to disenfranchise the state’s voters. And just this week, the Minnesota Supreme Court dismissed yet another attempt to strike Trump from the ballot.

This week’s Michigan ruling is great news not only for the Trump campaign but also the rule of law. Democrats know they have a weak incumbent at the top of their ticket and are pulling out all stops to rig the election before a single vote is cast.