Cook County judge kicks Trump off Illinois ballot — but puts her own order on hold

A Cook County judge Wednesday ordered the state election board to remove former President Donald Trump from Illinois’ March 19 primary ballot but put her order on hold until Friday in anticipation of a likely appeal.

Judge Tracie Porter’s decision comes amid national debate over whether Trump is disqualified from the presidency because of his actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and whether that attack amounted to an insurrection.

In her lengthy ruling, Porter wrote that she was aware that her "decision could not be the ultimate outcome," given that higher courts will have a chance to weigh in.

The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to rule on the controversy soon — and appeared skeptical of the arguments to kick Trump off Colorado’s ballot. The clock is ticking on the nation’s high court given that Colorado’s primary election is Tuesday. Porter also said her order would be put on hold if the Supreme Court's ruling is ultimately "inconsistent" with hers.

This report was produced through an agreement with the Chicago Sun-Times. For more, visit chicago.suntimes.com. Dave McKinney covers Illinois politics for WBEZ. Jon Seidel writes about federal courts and legal affairs for the Chicago Sun-Times.