Blow to Madison Cawthorn as appeals court reverses ‘insurrectionist’ ruling

Madison Cawthorn lost a primary this month and will not return when the next Congress meets in January. Photograph: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

People who take part in insurrections against the US government can be barred from office, an appeals court said on Tuesday, reversing a ruling in favor of Madison Cawthorn, an extremist Republican politician from North Carolina.

Hailing a “major victory”, Free Speech For People, the group which brought the case, said: “This ruling cements the growing judicial consensus that the 1872 Amnesty Act does not shield the insurrectionists of 6 January 2021 – including Donald Trump – from the consequences of their actions.”