Well of course.

If there is anything Americans have learned over the last few years, it is that Democrats run around accusing Republicans and Trump supporters of being “anti-democracy” — but then go out of their way to shut down democracy themselves.

The latest example of this exercise in straight-up fascism comes from an Illinois Democrat “judge” named Tracie Porter.

Here’s but one of the headlines she has generated, this one from Politico:

Illinois becomes third state to kick Trump off the ballot over Jan. 6

The Supreme Court heard arguments earlier this month on a Colorado ruling that deemed Trump ineligible.

Politico opens its report as follows: 

Illinois on Wednesday became the third state to declare former President Donald Trump ineligible to run for the presidency because of his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Chicago-based Judge Tracie Porter, an elected Democrat, ruled that Trump was not qualified for the presidency under an interpretation of a provision of the 14th Amendment that bars from office those who engaged in an insurrection after previously taking an oath to support the Constitution. 

But she put the decision on hold until Friday, leaving Trump on the March 19 primary ballot to allow for an appeal in the case in state court. 

Porter’s decision may not stand for long. The Supreme Court heard arguments earlier this month on a Colorado ruling that deemed Trump ineligible, and justices across the ideological spectrum seemed skeptical that states have the authority to disqualify presidential candidates under the so-called insurrection clause. The Supreme Court, however, has not yet issued its decision. 

The Illinois decision on Wednesday overturns the decision of the bipartisan state board of elections, which voted last month to keep Trump on the ballot because it said it lacked the authority to make constitutional determinations.

For those paying attention, the irony of Porter’s decision could not be missed.

Over at the website of the Cook County Democratic Party, there is a bio of Porter that says this: 

She is a graduate of Whitney M. Young High School, where she graduated in the top ten percent of her class.

Say again, “She is a graduate of Whitney M. Young High School…”

Well now.

For those of us old enough to remember, the late Whitney Young was one of the premier civil rights leaders of his day — in the 1960s and more. He was, among other things, the longtime president of the National Urban League. And one of the many pro-civil rights activities of Whitney Young’s group was, you guessed it, the fight for voting rights.

Today, the Urban League that was painstakingly built by Whitney Young has this to say, bold print for emphasis supplied:

National Urban League’s Reclaim Your Vote campaign is a national effort to promote voter registration, voter education, and voter activation with the power of the Urban League Affiliate and Volunteer movement and our strategic partners.

We prioritize civic engagement and protecting voting rights because the people we elect matter. Our vote is our voice; it decides our future and shapes the world around us. In order to Defend Democracy, Demand Diversity, and Defeat poverty- we must vote.

The work is led by our Equitable Justice & Strategic Initiatives (EJSI) division which works to increase voter engagement and registration through grassroots initiatives and partners with our Washington Bureau and advocacy partners to protect the right to vote for all Americans regardless of their racial, gender, ethnic, or socioeconomic background.

So, in other words?

There is Judge Tracie Porter — a graduate of a high school named for Whitney Young, one of the most important voting rights advocates of his day — going out of her way to suppress the right to vote by keeping a totally legitimate, decidedly legal former president of the United States off the ballot.

All because she doesn’t like Trump.

Well now. 

What happens if somewhere else in the land, with a nod to Porter’s precedent, yet another state official decides to keep some Democrat off the ballot? Or keep someone off the ballot because he or she is black? That is exactly what Whitney Young fought against.

One suspects that wherever in Heaven Mr. Young may be, he is shaking his head that a graduate of a high school bearing his name is engaged in exactly the kind of voter suppression Young and so many others put their lives on the line to end for good.

It’s safe to say that Judge Tracie Porter should be ashamed. 

But, one suspects, in the fashion similar to the anti-black segregationists that Whitney Young fought against for so long ago to get the right to vote, Tracie Porter has no shame.