Supreme Court refuses appeal by former N.M. official convicted in Jan. 6 riots

March 18 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the case of a former New Mexico county official who was ordered to step down under the "insurrection clause" of the 14th Amendment after being convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol.

The Supreme Court rejected Couy Griffin's appeal Monday without comment, allowing a New Mexico judge's ruling to stand.

Griffin, who is the founder of the political action committee Cowboys for Trump, had appealed to reverse his disqualification after he was deemed ineligible to ever hold office in his state under the Constitution's "insurrection clause."

Section three of the 14th Amendment bans anyone who has previously sworn an oath to the Constitution from holding state or federal offices if they have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the government.

"I just found out that my appeal to the SCOTUS has been denied," Griffin wrote Monday in a post on X. "Very disappointed. I don't even know what to say. But I thank you for your prayers and for standing with me through this."

Griffin was convicted in 2022 of misdemeanor offenses related to breaching the Capitol grounds. At the time, he was a member of the Otero County board of commissioner before the courts ordered him to step down immediately. It was the first time an elected official had been removed from office for rebellion against the United States since the Civil War era.

The lawsuit against Griffin was brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the same group that filed a lawsuit to remove former President Donald Trump from Colorado's ballot, citing the same "insurrectionist clause."

Earlier this month, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Colorado state Supreme Court's decision to block Trump from appearing on the ballot.

"We conclude that states may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But states have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the presidency," the court wrote March 4 in its unanimous decision.