Erroneous Report Targets Colorado Justice Who Voted to Disqualify Trump from 2024 Primary Ballot

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CLAIM: The U.S. Marines apprehended Colorado Supreme Court Justice Monica Márquez for her vote to exclude former President Donald Trump from the state’s presidential primary ballot.

AP’S VERIFICATION: False. This assertion emerged from a website explicitly dedicated to “humor, parody, and satire” and has a history of publishing similar fictitious narratives. A representative from the Colorado Judicial Department affirmed that this allegation lacks any credibility.

THE FACTS: In the aftermath of the court’s ruling on Tuesday, which found Trump ineligible for the presidency due to the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause, certain individuals on social media have been circulating an article that falsely claims one of the justices, part of the majority, was arrested by the Marine Corps.

One Instagram post featuring a screenshot of this story garnered more than 2,000 likes and included the caption: “You mean you have to be UNbiased to be a scj?!” However, this claim is entirely baseless.

The article in question originates from Real Raw News, a platform known for routinely publishing fictitious narratives and explicitly stating that it engages in “humor, parody, and satire.” Many of its stories revolve around fabricated Marine Corps-related accounts, typically relying on anonymous military sources. Despite our attempts, the site did not respond to our request for comment.

The article fails to provide any credible evidence to substantiate its claims, relying solely on an anonymous source purportedly from “General Eric M. Smith’s office,” a reference consistently used in previous erroneous posts.

Moreover, the article presents an imaginative scenario in which Marines are dispatched to apprehend the four justices who supported the decision. However, they only encounter Justice Márquez, who purportedly reacted vociferously when the Marines arrived at her residence, inquiring whether Trump had dispatched them.

Rob McCallum, a spokesperson for the Colorado Judicial Department, categorically refuted the claims made in the article. In an email to The Big Big News, McCallum stated, “Justice Márquez has not been arrested by the Marines and is not in custody.”

Regrettably, the Marine Corps did not respond to our request for comment.

This week, Colorado’s highest court voted 4-3 to deem Trump ineligible for the presidency based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment and subsequently removed him from the state’s presidential primary ballot. Remarkably, this marks the first instance in history that this clause has been invoked to disqualify a presidential candidate.

It is noteworthy that the court has temporarily suspended its decision until January 4, or until the U.S. Supreme Court adjudicates on the matter.

This piece forms part of AP’s ongoing efforts to address the proliferation of misleading information, which includes collaborations with external entities to offer factual context to deceptive content circulating online. Further insights into our fact-checking endeavors can be found at AP.

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