Federal Judge Crushes Attempt to Disqualify Trump From Virginia Ballot

‘Plaintiffs have totally failed to demonstrate how their alleged injuries are traceable to the conduct of defendants,’ U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said.

Former President Donald Trump leaves the courtroom during a break in the civil fraud trial against the Trump Organization at the New York State Supreme Court in New York on Dec. 7, 2023. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that sought to bar former President Donald Trump from Virginia’s 2024 primary and general election ballots, rejecting arguments similar to those used to temporarily prevent him from appearing on ballots in Colorado and Maine.

In a ruling issued in late December, U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema wrote that the plaintiffs—two activists—who filed the lawsuit against President Trump lacked legal standing.