The seemingly never-ending efforts to keep Donald Trump from regaining a return to the White House got personal in Illinois this week.

The Chicago Tribune alerted us that Cook County Judge Tracie Porter has ruled that the former president should have his name struck from the March 19 Illinois Republican primary ballot.

Why, you may ask?

According to the jurist, it’s because she’s convinced the former El Presidente “engaged in insurrection in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol and is disqualified from holding the office of president.”

She based her ruling on the Colorado Supreme Court’s 4-3 decision in December which removed The Donald from their state’s ballot —a case being reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Trump lawyers immediately announced a they would appeal Judge Porter’s ruling.

As anyone even slightly interested in the news knows, this is only one of one several headache-making issues facing what appears to be the obvious choice of Republican voters this November. Assuming, of course, he’s actually on the ballot!

Colorado and Illinois are not the only states trying to shut down Team Trump. In responding to Judge Porter’s ruling, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said, “Today, an activist Democrat judge in Illinois summarily overruled the state’s Board of Elections and contradicted earlier decisions from dozens of other state and federal jurisdictions.” He added, “This is an unconstitutional ruling that we will quickly appeal.”

Harrrummph!

So where did this effort to disqualify Trump in Illinois originate? According to the Tribune, its roots came via the organization Free Speech for People. They’ve been active with similar ballot challenges in other states. But we must not assume it’s only Trump-hating Democrats who’ve pursued such legal maneuvers.

According to Newsweek, “Several of the challenges have been initiated by John Castro, a lesser-known Republican candidate vying for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.”

Two separate lawsuits were filed in New York State—one from Castro in Manhattan and another from Jerome Dewald, a Republican attorney.

The lawsuits Mr. Castro filed in New Hampshire and Rhode Island went nowhere. Both were dismissed. Perhaps because of this, Attorney Castro dropped the challenges he filed in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Kansas, Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Utah.

And this is worth noting: Federal Judge Robin Rosenberg dismissed a lawsuit involving three Florida attorneys within a week after it was filed in August. She argued that the filers lacked “standing” to challenge Trump’s “qualifications” to seek the presidency.

Their claim was also based on the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment. (FYI…Judge Rosenberg was an Obama appointee.)

Judge Porter made her ruling challenging an earlier State Board of Elections’ decision that would allow Trump to remain on the Illinois state ballot. It was an 8-0 bipartisan vote. According to the Tribune, Judge Porter found the State Board of Elections’ decision that Trump was ballot eligible because he did not knowingly file a false statement of candidacy was “without basis and contrary to existing Illinois law.”

Let’s add another “Harrrummph!”

So how does all this get resolved? By the U.S. Supreme Court, which is presently reviewing the appeal made by the Trump legal team to the Colorado ballot restriction. Oral arguments were made last month. Super Tuesday is March 5th. That’s the day Colorado and 14 other states will hold their primaries.

It will be most interesting to see how the Court weighs in. The scales of justice cannot always escape the political beliefs of those on the bench. It would be mind-boggling to think that Donald Trump would be kept off the ballots of many states come November. It would certainly disrupt his plans to “Make America Great Again.”

One day, when the worries of this life are over, we will all experience perfect justice. Why do we know this? King David tells us: “God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.” (Psalm 7:11, ESV)

Unfortunately, we give Him plenty to be indignant about. You have a role in this. Pray for our leaders. Pray for our nation. Pray for our judiciary.

And may true justice prevail.