NM County Executive Barred From Office Over Jan. 6 Riot, Judge Rules

OTERO COUNTY, NM — A county commissioner from New Mexico has been removed from office after he was convicted of illegally entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as a joint session of Congress convened to certify the 2020 presidential election results.

A judge this week ruled that Couy Griffin, an Otero County commissioner and founder of a group called "Cowboys for Trump," violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution when he took part in the insurrection alongside thousands of other supporters of former President Donald Trump, according to a Reuters report.

Section 3, also known as the Disqualification Clause, prohibits anyone from holding federal or state office who "having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof."

Griffin is the first elected official connected to the riot to lose their job because of the clause, Reuters reported.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia faced a similar challenge due to the 14th Amendment, but state officials decided she should remain on the ballot.

Violating the amendment disqualifies Griffin from holding local, state, or federal office, the judge said. In his ruling, the judge said that effective immediately, Griffin is "barred for life" from serving as a senator, congressman, or elector, or from holding any civil or military office federally or in any state, National Public Radio reported.

In May, Griffin, of Tularosa, was found guilty of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds. According to court documents, Griffin climbed over a stone wall to enter a restricted area Capitol. An associate then recorded him on the inauguration stage as he addressed a live audience, authorities said.

"It’s a great day for America," Griffin said, according to court documents. "The people are showing that they have had enough. People are ready for fair and legal elections, or this is what you’re gonna get and you’re gonna get more of it."

According to court documents, Griffin spent more than an hour perched on the front railing of the inaugural stage, being filmed by his associate.

Griffin was arrested on Jan. 19, 2021. He was sentenced in June to 14 days in jail, one year of supervised release and 60 hours of community service. He was also ordered to pay a $3,000 fine and $500 restitution.