A Republican Warns Trump ‘Walls Are Closing In’ on Colorado Case After Judge Issues Protective Order

Republican presidential contender John Anthony Castro warned former President Donald Trump that the 'walls are closing in' on him. This came after Trump was issued a protection order by the judge presiding over a lawsuit seeking to exclude him from Colorado's 2024 presidential election. Issued by District Judge Sarah B. Wallace on September 22, this order bans parties in the case from making threatening or intimidating statements, per the Associated Press. "I 100% understand everybody's concerns for the parties, the lawyers, and frankly myself and my staff based on what we've seen in other cases," Wallace said.

In reaction to the order, Castro, who has been opposing Trump ever since he announced his candidacy, warned Trump on Twitter. "The walls are closing in fast MF," Castro wrote on September 26 with a link to an article about the protective order. It is also worth noting that the order was requested by attorneys for the liberal organization Citizens For Responsibility and Ethics (based in Washington), which is attempting to remove Trump's name from the ballot under a seldom-invoked clause of the 14th Amendment from the time of the American Civil War, as per ABC 7 Chicago.

Several other lawsuits have been filed across the country ahead of the presidential elections seeking to disqualify Trump from running for office in 2024 under the 14th Amendment clause, which prohibits anybody from running for office who has taken an oath to the Constitution and then 'engaged in insurrection' against it. Many of their arguments center on Trump's participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, in the aftermath of which he called the rioters "great patriots," as per the BBC. 

Former Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler, who is defending Trump in the case, was against the order. He claimed that since threats and intimidation are already against the law, no protection order was required. Gessler also said that some of the vehement language in this situation has come from the left. “We do have robust political debate going on here,” he said. “For better or worse, this case has become a focal point.”

The Colorado suit is the first to be filed by a group with significant legal resources. The case is expected to reach the United States Supreme Court, which has never decided on the 14th Amendment's insurrection provision in section three.

Judge Wallace has scheduled a hearing for Oct. 30 to debate whether Trump should be removed from the ballot under Colorado law, which prohibits candidates who do not meet the criteria for higher office from appearing on ballots. She has stated that she wants to allow the Colorado Supreme Court—and maybe the United States Supreme Court—as much time as possible to examine the judgment before the state's Jan. 5 deadline to design its presidential primary ballot for 2024.

The protection order was proposed in court on September 22 by Sean Grimsley, a counsel for the plaintiffs in the case. Grimsley cited federal prosecutor Jack Smith, who sought a gag order against Trump for threats made during his trial of the former president for attempting to alter the 2020 presidential election results. “At least one of the parties has a tendency to tweet — or Truth Social,” Grimsley commented, in reference to Trump’s own social media platform, where it seems he frequently writes influential statements 'about witnesses and the courts.'