Colorado Sues Trump Administration for Alleged Political Retaliation in Space Command HQ Shift

Colorado Attorney General alleges the relocation of U.S. Space Command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama, was driven by Donald Trump’s opposition to Colorado’s mail-in voting system and seeks an injunction to block the move.

Denver | In a bold legal challenge, the state of Colorado has filed suit against the federal government, alleging that the relocation of the U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) headquarters from Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama, was illegally motivated by partisan retaliation. The lawsuit, announced Wednesday by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, seeks to enjoin the move and to secure a judicial finding that the decision violates constitutional protections.

According to the complaint, former President Donald Trump explicitly cited Colorado’s robust mail-in voting system as a key factor in his decision to move the headquarters. In a September remark, Trump said, “The problem with Colorado is that they have a very corrupt voting system … So that played a big factor also.” 

Colorado contends that this admission transforms a national defense basing decision into a coercive act against a state exercising its sovereign authority to regulate elections. The lawsuit states: “President Trump has unlawfully retaliated against Colorado to punish the state for its exercise of sovereign authority to regulate elections.”