Maine's Supreme Court on Wednesday night declined to consider whether former President Donald Trump can remain on the state's ballot, making it the first U.S. Supreme Court to rule on a similar case in Colorado. It upheld the judge's decision that it was necessary to make a decision.
Democratic Secretary of State Shena Bellows concluded that Mr. Trump was not eligible to vote under the U.S. Constitution's Insurrection Clause, but the justices will not rule on that decision pending the Supreme Court's decision on a similar case in Colorado. I put it on hold.
In a unanimous decision, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court rejected Mr. Bellows' appeal to wait for a U.S. Supreme Court ruling before reversing, amending or upholding the decision to keep Mr. Trump from the Super Tuesday primary ballot. .
“The Secretary of State has indicated that irreparable harm could be caused by delaying certainty about whether Mr. Trump's name should appear on the primary ballot because it would confuse voters.
“However, it is this uncertainty that guided our decision not to pursue immediate appellate review in this particular case,” the court said.
Bellows ruled in December that Trump was ineligible, becoming the first election official to ban a leading Republican candidate from the ballot under the 14th Amendment.
The state Supreme Court reached a similar conclusion in Colorado.
The schedule is tightening as Maine's March 5 primary approaches.
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the Colorado case on February 8, and Maine has already begun mailing ballots overseas.
The country's highest court has never ruled on Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits persons “involved in rebellion” from holding public office.
Some legal scholars have criticized Trump for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election and encouraging his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol after losing to Democrat Joe Biden. It claims that the clause applies.
Trump said Bellows should step down and that he was biased against him. President Trump said her actions disenfranchise voters in Maine and are part of a broader effort to keep him from voting.
Bellows, who was elected by the Democratic-controlled Legislature, said he was obligated by state law to make the decision after several residents challenged Trump's right to vote in the primary.
She vowed to suspend her decision on Trump's voting eligibility pending the judicial process and abide by the court's final ruling.
