Denver, CO

Editorial: Supreme Court justices keep Trump on the Colorado ballot, ignoring judicial restraint and originalism

Published

2 years ago

March 5, 2024

Editorial: Supreme Court justices keep Trump on the Colorado ballot, ignoring judicial restraint and originalism

We are not surprised that three of the justices on the Supreme Court who favor an evolving view of the Constitution would refuse to enforce a little-known provision of the 14th Amendment that has never before been employed during a presidential election.

While we disagree with their conclusion, the justices are right that there is no precedent and that allowing a state to banish a bad actor from the ballot just before the 2024 primary is an extreme action that could violate competing portions of the Constitution requiring that federal officers are responsive to all the people of America through a coordinated election process.

We are dismayed, however, that Supreme Court Justices John Roberts, Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, and to a lesser extent Amy Coney Barrett, would so quickly and with so little explanation abandon their literal adherence to the plain words of the Constitution — a legal world-view known as “originalism.”

Not only did the originalists use historical context to decide what the 14th Amendment says, but they also undermined the entire amendment with a sweeping and far-reaching ruling that Coney Barrett criticized.

These justices stripped pregnant women of their rights without even acknowledging that women in states with abortion bans would die of sepsis while waiting for a fetal heart to stop. And yet, the justices spent a few sad paragraphs at the end of their ruling in Trump v. Anderson lamenting the harm that would occur were former President Donald Trump to be kicked off the ballot in Colorado.

“Nothing in the Constitution requires that we endure such chaos — arriving at any time or different times, up to and perhaps beyond the Inauguration,” write all of the conservative justices with the exception of Barrett, who wrote a short separate opinion. These men cry tears for an orderly election but couldn’t spare a moment for pregnant women suffering life-threatening health conditions.

Gorsuch, Alito and Thomas long ago swore it should not matter to good justices what bad outcomes might result from enforcing the Constitution as written, as long as they did not waver from the plain language. Roberts and Kavanaugh have never claimed to be true originalists but do lean in that direction.

Just how clear is the language of the Constitution when it comes to elected officials who have taken an oath of office and then supported a violent uprising against that very sacred document?

Amendment 14 Section 3 could not be clearer: “No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath … to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.”

Given Trump’s violent rhetoric, his aggressive orchestration of alternative electors following his clear loss in 2020 to President Joe Biden, and his subsequent efforts to prevent Congress from certifying the results as required in the Constitution, it is clear that Trump cannot “hold any office … under the United States.”

Rather than enforce this inconvenient truth in the Constitution, the justices have ruled that states cannot be the ones enforcing the 14th Amendment. They go so far as to rule that no one can enforce the 14th Amendment without legislation or other acts of Congress.

“This can hardly come as a surprise,” the majority quips as they shoot down the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling that Trump’s actions following the November 2020 election have rendered him unqualified for federal office.

Indeed, it is a surprise that states cannot enforce the 14th Amendment.

Who do these justices think brought the case Brown v. Board of Education to their bench in 1954? It was not federal prosecutors, using federal legislation to enforce desegregatoin of schools in the south. It was citizens, children to be specific, seeking “equal protection” under the 14th Amendment. One of the cases went to state courts, others through federal courts, but never did the Supreme Court deny a case because the state’s courts had no authority to enforce the 14th Amendment. In fact, in some states and some small towns, the wait would have been long for an end to segregation in schools if the Supreme Court had required federal action on the issue.

The court ruled in Brown: “Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment.”

In a similar fashion, earnest Coloradans who were convinced that Trump’s insurrection attempt disqualified him from office sought redress in Colorado courts to enforce the 14th Amendment. We wrote in November that these Coloradans obviously had standing to bring this case and that the courts were the appropriate place to litigate whether Trump’s actions met the definition of “insurrection.”

The concurring opinion by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson made this exact argument while they dissented to the court’s reasoning: “Similarly, nothing else in the rest of the Fourteenth Amendment supports the majority’s view. Section 5 gives Congress the ‘power to enforce [the Amendment] by appropriate legislation.’ Remedial legislation of any kind, however, is not required. All the Reconstruction Amendments (including the due process and equal protection guarantees and prohibition of slavery) ‘are self-executing,’ meaning that they do not depend on legislation.”

Sotomayor, Kagan and Jackson are arguing for judicial restraint. This isn’t the first time, nor the last time we fear, that the rogue conservative majority on the court will rule as broadly as they possibly can in pursuit of their desired outcome.

That four justices ruled narrowly against employing a novel legal argument on a state-by-state basis to keep an insurrectionist from running for president is being considered a win by Trump’s supporters.

That five justices ruled that the 14th Amendment cannot be enforced by states without federal legislation is a loss for America, a loss for liberty and yet another sign that this court is spiraling out of control with no leadership, no discipline and a clear uptick in partisanship.

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Denver, CO

Jazz List 8 Players on Injury Report vs. Nuggets

Published

3 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Jazz List 8 Players on Injury Report vs. Nuggets

The Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets are tipping off their second-to-last meeting of the 2025-26 season on Friday in the Mile High, where for the Jazz in particular, they’ll be dealing with several injuries headed into the matchup that’ll make them shorthanded once again.

Here’s what to expect on the injury front for both the Jazz and Nuggets on Friday night:

Utah Jazz Injury Report

OUT – Isaiah Collier (hamstring)

OUT – Keyonte George (hamstring)

OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee)

OUT – Walker Kessler (shoulder)

OUT – Lauri Markkanen (hip)

OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (nose)

PROBABLE – Kyle Filipowski (illness)

OUT – Blake Hinson (two-way)

It’s a lot of the same for the Jazz when looking back at some of their recent injury reports, but there’s also some good news to note as well.

Second-year big man Kyle Filipowski, specifically, is trending up to play in Denver after dealing with an illness against the Washington Wizards; an issue that kept him sidelined for one game and left the Jazz’s frontcourt notably shorthanded for what would be a double-digit loss.

During his post-All-Star stretch, Filipowski has been averaging 13.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, along with 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks through 11 games.

He’s slotted in primarily as the Jazz’s starting center since both Walker Kessler and Jusuf Nurkic have been out with season-ending injuries, and has shown some nice flashes throughout.

Mar 23, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Kyle Filipowski (22) controls the ball during the first quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images | Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

However, outside of getting Filipowski back in the mix, the Jazz will still be without second-year guard Isaiah Collier, who continues to deal with hamstring soreness, and will also continue to be down Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen with their extended absences.

It remains to be seen if any of the latter two will be able to return at some point this season, but now with less than 10 games to go on the calendar before the offseason officially hits, the chances of either Markkanen or George coming back keep getting slimmer and slimmer.

For the extent either remains out, expect to see a good chunk of Ace Bailey being the primary scoring option as he has through his recent slate of games, along with an expanded role for their two-way and 10-day players down the bench who have gotten more minutes in recent weeks.

Denver Nuggets Injury Report

OUT – David Roddy (two-way)

OUT – KJ Simpson (two-way)

As for the Nuggets, their injury slate remains clean. The only names out will be a pair of their two way signings in David Roddy and KJ Simpsons, while the rest of their roster is slated to be active.

It’s a major change from what the Nuggets have been used to all season when factoring in their several injuries to key players lasting multiple weeks.

Nikola Jokic, Cameron Johnson, Christian Braun, Aaron Gordon, and Peyton Watson have all missed significant time at one point or another this season, but against Utah, they’ll have all systems go as they roll into the game on a three-game win streak.

Tip-off between the Jazz and Nuggets lands at 7 p.m. MT in Ball Arena.

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Denver, CO

‘The math just doesn’t work’: Little India to close in West Highland

Published

15 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

‘The math just doesn’t work’: Little India to close in West Highland

Little India will close its West Highland location in the coming months, owner Simeran Baidwan told BusinessDen.

It marks the end of a five-year run at the corner of 32nd Avenue and Lowell Street for the local Indian chain.

“We opened to preserve jobs because we didn’t have enough revenue,” he said of the pandemic days when restaurants were struggling.

The 3496 W. 32nd Ave. store helped keep dozens of chefs and servers in Baidwan’s “Little India family,” he said. Those workers will now have the opportunity to work at his other restaurants.

“Five years later, the question isn’t whether people love the food,” he continued. “It’s whether independent restaurants can survive the compounding pressures and expenses, especially in Denver.”

Baidwan, who opened the first and still-running Little India at Sixth and Grant alongside his parents in 1998, singled out rising minimum wage, insurance, delivery fees and credit card processing fees as factors contributing to the closure.

“I think what it is, is a Denver restaurant industry story, it’s not just our one restaurant story,” he said. “I think what’s happened, in this day and time, is that life has become really expensive. There’s no margins. The math just doesn’t work.”

Being in the Highlands was also a factor, Baidwan said. The desirable location comes with high rent as well as skyrocketing property taxes he’s been responsible for. Add in dwindling consumer spending and Baidwan said his hand was forced.

“Busy doesn’t always mean profitable,” he said. “A lot of people look through the window and assume the restaurant is good, and we have the several locations too. But it just isn’t like that anymore.”

Baidwan said there’s no plan to close his three other locations, in Cap Hill, Central Park and off Downing Street near the University of Denver. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been making tweaks.

At the original store off Sixth, he started operating 24/7 about eight months ago, something he’s thinking about for his other neighborhood restaurants. He’s also added entertainment, like jazz music and dancing, to help get more customers through the door.

Baidwan himself has also returned to the floor as a server — the first job he had at his parent’s store. But having the owner-operator model is difficult for his sprawling Little India empire since he can only be in so many places at once.

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Denver, CO

How Denver’s Ballpark District now has ties to Chicago’s Wrigleyville

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

How Denver’s Ballpark District now has ties to Chicago’s Wrigleyville

DENVER — A new Rockies season is on deck, with the team’s first game of the 2026 campaign set for Friday night in Miami. The home opener is next Friday at Coors Field.

It’s also a new season for the Ballpark neighborhood’s General Improvement District (GID) and its street ambassadors.

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Those ambassadors, dressed in maroon shirts and jackets, patrol the streets around Coors Field and the Ballpark neighborhood. They are tasked with helping with cleaning, maintenance, security, outreach to those experiencing homelessness, and general hospitality for neighbors and visitors.

How Denver’s Ballpark District now has ties to Chicago’s Wrigleyville

This week, Denver7 spoke with Kate McKenna, who stepped in as the GID’s executive director last summer. McKenna said while she works in the office, the district has six full-time ambassador employees through programming partner block by block. She said the team patrols the area year-round, but adds staffing for big events like St. Patrick’s Day and Rockies home games.

McKenna comes to Denver from a similar role in Wrigleyville, the iconic neighborhood outside Wrigley Field in Chicago. She said that serves as a source of inspiration for the future, but adds that Denver’s ballpark neighborhood has its own unique advantages.

“All of our businesses are independently-owned and operated,” McKenna told Denver7. “There is no chain, there is no commercial sort of large entity here in Ballpark that you’re going to see… To have a true small, hyper-local-owned economy is what really sets this district apart, both in Denver and then nationwide.”

Even after the Rockies set a franchise record with 119 losses in 2025, McKenna said the on-field product does not make the District’s job harder.

“I like to think win or lose, they’re the best neighbor you could possibly have, regardless of their season,” McKenna said. “They continually have one of the highest attendance rates for home games, as well as walk-up ticket sales.

McKenna said there continues to be good conversations between the district and local businesses. Property owners pay a fee based on property value that goes into the GID’s annual budget.

“Folks are coming out. Folks are patronizing local businesses. They’re bringing their families down here, and they’re enjoying their time, which is all you can really ask for in terms of community… Bringing people together is at the core of what we’re doing here.”

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