Maine Supreme Court Delays Decision To Rule On Trump’s Eligibility For The Ballot

Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court declined to rule on Donald Trump’s eligibility to remain on the primary ballot, noting that the Supreme Court is set to rule on a similar case over Colorado’s decision to remove the former president from its ballot.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows determined that Trump is ineligible to run for office under the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment. However, that decision has now been put on hold until the Supreme Court rules on the matter.  

In December, Bellows removed Trump’s name from the Maine primary ballot due to his involvement with the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Trump argues that Bellows is biased and acting in the best interest of her party. Bellows contends that she was fulfilling her duty to Maine residents who have protested Trump’s presence on the ballot.   

In Colorado, the state Supreme Court determined that Trump violated the insurrection clause under the 14th Amendment, which states that those who have engaged in insurrection against the United States are banned from holding any elected position without two-thirds approval of both the House and Senate. 

The Supreme Court will conduct hearings regarding the Colorado case on February 8.

Supreme Court Justice Michaela Murphy noted that state courts must wait until the Supreme Court’s decision to “promote greater predictability in the weeks ahead of the primary election.”