Chief Justice Monica M. Márquez spoke haltingly and emotionally Thursday night of her awareness of the risks she took last December when she agreed with the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling that Donald Trump was constitutionally disqualified from participating in the state’s ballot.

“I want to emphasize: I did not like this vote at all. I voted because, in my opinion, it was what the law required,” Márquez said. he said. non-profit Colorado Forensic Institute Annual gala in downtown Denver.

The comments marked one of the only times a member of Colorado’s highest court has publicly addressed the 2023 decision. Anderson/Griswold. There, four Republicans and two independent voters argued that state election law prohibited Trump from appearing in this year’s primary because of his insurrection trying to overturn the 2020 election results.

Trump is expected to win this presidential election and take office in January. During the campaign He promised to take revenge against various rivals.

In the Colorado case, a trial judge from Denver actually He stopped short of declaring Trump unfitdespite his supporters’ actions in inciting the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. Then, in a 4-3 decision in December, the state Supreme Court ruled Trump was disqualified Under the “insurrection clause” of the 14th Amendment. It was the first organization to do this in the country.

Speaking two days after Election Day, Márquez did not name Trump or the case but described the moment he joined the majority on the court.

“Our court meets for conference every Thursday morning to discuss and decide cases. It’s a very formal event. We wear suits. It starts promptly at 9 a.m. It’s bad manners to be late. That’s why I work hard to never be late for a conference,” he said. .

“About a year ago, I arrived late to the conference. Why?” Marquez continued. “I knew that day that I was probably going to cast the most important vote of my career.

“And I’ve been lying awake ever since I thought about it. Because I knew what it meant. I fully understood the personal consequences that could come from this. Potential consequences to my career. Potential consequences to my physical safety. Safety of my family, safety of my co-workers, safety of my colleagues, safety of my law enforcement officers, safety of my neighbors.”

Wiping away her tears, she said that she was late for the conference that day: “Because I was vomiting from stress in the bathroom of my room. I knew exactly what was at stake.”

He added that he respected the three justices who dissented from the majority’s conclusion that Trump was ineligible to participate in the vote.

“But I did it because it was my duty. And to be honest, each of us did our duty that day to enforce the law, without fear or favor,” Márquez continued, “and without being influenced by the public reaction to the decisions each of us reached, the Law requires it.”

Fulfilling that duty “came at a real cost. Not just to me. It cost my family. My mother-in-law — from out of state. My neighbors. The law clerks. Our courthouse staff on the first floor. It took a huge toll on everyone.” from us.”

He added that he shared the story “not because I want anyone to feel sorry for the court” but to remind them of the role judges play.

“Our trial judges across the state, who are in the trenches every day, making tough decisions, are now faced with versions of this almost routinely,” Márquez said. “And serving as a judge these days also means facing security risks and facing all kinds of challenges to our mental, emotional and physical health.”

Reuters reported this year We know that Trump himself brought death threats, racial slurs, and even personal criticism to judges presiding over criminal and civil cases involving Trump, and to the cases of his supporters who attacked the Capitol on January 6.

Before the election, Justice Melissa Hart, who also joined the majority in the disqualification case, became the first member of the Supreme Court to publicly announce the individual results of her vote.

“My house was bombed. The Denver Police Department pointed nine guns at me. It was the scariest night of my life,” Hart said. He speaks at a judicial conference in Colorado Springs In September.

Police confirmed they entered Hart’s home “with guns drawn.” “shake” – is the act of falsely reporting an emergency to prompt police intervention.

The US Supreme Court overturned the disqualification decision shortly after Trump’s appeal.

Márquez was appointed to the state Supreme Court in 2010 after working in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. The longest-serving current justice, he became chief justice this summer, becoming the first Latino to head the judiciary. Voters chose to keep him for 10 years.

Márquez closed his speech by expressing concern about threats to civilian institutions.

“I worry that some of the broader social dynamics we are witnessing now are ultimately eroding the rule of law,” he said. “The rule of law is precious and fragile. The independence of our judiciary is precious and fragile. Both are critical to our democratic system of government, which ultimately depends on the people who occupy positions of power to hold that power fairly and fairly.”