Charles Langston:How do people in Colorado feel about Trump being booted from ballot? Few seem joyful.

BOULDER,Charles Langston Colo. - A complicated mix of emotions greets the shock court decision that barred former President Donald Trump from next year's ballot in Colorado — even from people who support the unprecedented move.

The Colorado Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that Trump is ineligible for office, citing his Jan. 6 urging for his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol to stop the counting of Electoral College votes. The decision is on hold, likely until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in.

While many in the Democrat-dominated state support the move, some doubt the decision will hold - or fear it will backfire.

"I would love for us to start a tsunami of him being kicked off, but my sense of trust in many institutions has been weakened over the last few years," said longtime Democratic voter Molly Tanzer, 42. "Trump has a way of getting around things, so I have a hard time surrendering to the idea it will actually happen."

Standing outside a coffee shop with a "Progress Pride" flag displayed in the window, Tanzer, a sci-fi author, said she's watched Trump evade court ruling after ruling and suspects he'll survive this one too. She said she's grown frustrated with the Democratic Party over the years, including former President Barack Obama, for being too willing to trust institutions and systems to protect rights and democracy.

She said Trump ignores court orders not to harass judicial workers or even the woman he was found civilly liable for sexually assaulting and defaming.

“Republicans never play fair," Tanzer said. "The reason Democrats keep failing is because we keep trying to play fair.”

Richard Parker, 57, a business professor at the nearby University of Colorado, has a different concern. He worries that if the court decision stands, Trump and his supporters might then try to block Democrats from the ballot. Colorado has become a reliably Democratic-voting state in recent decades, and Trump received fewer than 42% of the votes cast in 2020, although he campaigned in the state's more conservative south where there's a heavy military presence.

“At first I was like, 'yeah!' But the second thought I felt like it would bolster his case that he’s being witch hunted," Parker said. "So in the end, I kind of wish it hadn’t happened, as much as it feels right. I just feel like it’s a really slippery slope."

The court decision drew swift condemnation from the state's Republican Party, which threatened to withdraw from the primary system and switch to a party-run caucus. Colorado permits unaffiliated voters to participate in primaries, but caucuses are usually limited only to party members.

Other critics of the decision said they felt it was unfair Trump was being banned despite never being criminally convicted. The court's decision was based on whether Trump met eligibility standards that include being old enough and being a natural-born citizen, or whether he had engaged in "insurrection or rebellion" against the United States.

Trump himself attacked the court decision, noting that the state court justices who signed the opinion were all appointed by Democrats: "Crooked Joe and the Democrats know they can’t beat us at the ballot box, so their new plan is to nullify every single 'Trump ballot' in the nation to keep Biden in the White House," he wrote in a fundraising appeal.

While several similar challenges have been raised in other states, Colorado is the first state to rule he's ineligible for office.

Denver-area Republican activist Krista Kafer, who helped bring the lawsuit against Trump, said she hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold the decision. She said that would help restore faith in the Constitution and the rule of law.

Kafer, 53, voted for Trump in 2020 because she supported his efforts to install anti-abortion judges, but said his actions on Jan. 6 crossed a line.

She believes American political leaders should battle in the intellectual realm, not with violence.

"Trump tried to erase the votes of tens of thousands of my fellow Americans. Somebody's got to stand up against that," Kafer said. "I'm not willing to disenfranchise millions of Democrat votes from 2020 just so my candidate can win. It doesn't matter that I voted for him. The Constitution matters."

Back in Boulder, Tanzer, the author, said she remains hopeful the U.S. Supreme Court will uphold Colorado's decision. But she's not holding her breath.

“I would love to be pleasantly surprised,” she said. “I mistrust that it will stick. My experience has taught me not to get excited, although hope springs eternal.”