Far-right politicians are dragging America back to the 19th century.
Reproductive rights in Wisconsin are now governed by an abortion law passed in 1849—and in Arizona, a judge recently reinstated a ban on abortion first adopted in 1864.
Well, if Republicans are so keen to wind back the clock, I suggest reviving a different 19th century provision of the Constitution : Section Three of the 14th Amendment.
It states that, anyone who has taken an oath to protect the Constitution can be barred from holding public office if they “have engaged in insurrection” against the United States.
Sound familiar?
A judge in New Mexico thought so—and recently used it to permanently ban an insurrectionist from ever holding any state or federal office again.
Robert B. Reich is the chancellor’s professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley and former secretary of labor under the Clinton administration. Time Magazine named him one of the 10 most effective Cabinet secretaries of the 20th century. He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause. His film, Inequality for All, was released in 2013. Follow him on Twitter: @RBReich.
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This one thing may stop Trump from running for re-election
Posted on November 16, 2022 by Robert Reich
Far-right politicians are dragging America back to the 19th century.
Reproductive rights in Wisconsin are now governed by an abortion law passed in 1849—and in Arizona, a judge recently reinstated a ban on abortion first adopted in 1864.
Well, if Republicans are so keen to wind back the clock, I suggest reviving a different 19th century provision of the Constitution : Section Three of the 14th Amendment.
It states that, anyone who has taken an oath to protect the Constitution can be barred from holding public office if they “have engaged in insurrection” against the United States.
Sound familiar?
A judge in New Mexico thought so—and recently used it to permanently ban an insurrectionist from ever holding any state or federal office again.
The official—Commissioner Couy Griffin—spent months normalizing violence to keep Trump in office and urged supporters to travel to Washington with him on January 6th.
Griffin also voted twice against certifying New Mexico’s 2022 primary election, fueled by conspiracy theories about the security of voting equipment.
His case proves that it is possible to expel public officials who violate their oaths to the Constitution.
Any lawmakers who engaged in insurrection on January 6th must be held accountable and barred from holding public office now and in the future.
And yes, that includes Donald Trump.
This post originally appeared at RobertReich.org.
Robert B. Reich is the chancellor’s professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley and former secretary of labor under the Clinton administration. Time Magazine named him one of the 10 most effective Cabinet secretaries of the 20th century. He is also a founding editor of The American Prospect magazine and chairman of Common Cause. His film, Inequality for All, was released in 2013. Follow him on Twitter: @RBReich.