A former New Mexico county commissioner who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot will not be able to run for future office, following a Supreme Court decision on Monday.
The rejected appeal by former Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin leaves him the only elected official thus far to be banned from office in connection with the Capitol attack, which disrupted Congress as it was trying to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory over then-President Trump.
Though the Supreme Court ruled this month that states do not have the ability to bar Trump or other candidates for federal offices from the ballot, the justices said different rules apply to state and local candidates.
“We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office,” the justices wrote in an unsigned opinion.
NEW MEXICO JUDGE REMOVES COUNTY COMMISSIONER FROM OFFICE FOR PARTICIPATION IN JAN 6 RIOT
Otero County, New Mexico, Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters as he arrives at federal court in Washington, D.C., June. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)
Griffin was kicked out of office in September 2022 over his participation in the Jan. 6 riot following a ruling from New Mexico State District Court Judge Francis Mathew that permanently prohibits him from running for local or federal office.
The judge ruled that Griffin participated in an “insurrection after taking his oath” at the U.S. Capitol and that he violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
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A scene from the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
Griffin was previously convicted in federal court of a misdemeanor for entering the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. He was sentenced to 14 days and given credit for time served.
Griffin contends that he entered the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 without recognizing that it had been designated as a restricted area and that he attempted to lead a crowd in prayer using a bullhorn, without engaging in violence.
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Couy Griffin, a former Otero County commissioner and co-founder of Cowboys for Trump, speaks during a gun rights rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sept. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)
On the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack, Griffin cast himself as the victim of political persecution as he spoke to a gathering in the rural community of Gillette, Wyoming, at the invitation of the county Republican Party.
“God is really allowing me to experience some amazing days,” Griffin said, according to The Associated Press. “Jan. 6 was a day like no other. It was a day where a type of patriotism was expressed that I’d never seen before, and I was honored to be there.”
Otero County, New Mexico, Commissioner Couy Griffin speaks to reporters at federal court in Washington, D.C., June. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)
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Griffin is a cowboy pastor who rode to national political fame by embracing then-President Trump with a series of horseback caravans.
Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller and The Associated Press contributed to this report.