A Maine judge on Wednesday put on hold a decision on former President Donald Trump’s ballot status to allow time for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on a similar case in Colorado. Trump’s lawyers appealed in state court when Secretary of State Shenna Bellows removed the Republican front-runner from the presidential primary ballot but then asked the judge to pause proceedings to allow the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the Colorado case, which could render the lawsuit moot.
Quick Read
- Legal Proceedings Paused: A Maine judge has paused the decision on Trump’s ballot status to await a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a similar case in Colorado.
- Trump’s Legal Appeal: Trump’s lawyers appealed after Maine’s Secretary of State Shenna Bellows removed him from the presidential primary ballot.
- Judge’s Rationale: Superior Court Judge Michaela Murphy agreed to wait for the Supreme Court’s decision, noting that it could influence or resolve the issues in the Maine case.
- Insurrection Clause Application: Bellows had determined Trump did not meet ballot qualifications under the insurrection clause of the U.S. Constitution due to his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
- Historic Context: This decision marked the first time an election official barred Trump from a ballot under the 14th Amendment.
- Awaiting Supreme Court Decision: The Supreme Court has scheduled arguments for the Colorado case on Feb. 8, which involves a similar application of the 14th Amendment.
- Current Ballot Status: Trump remains on the Maine ballot for the upcoming primary, with a deadline approaching for sending overseas ballots.
- Potential Impact of Supreme Court Ruling: If the Supreme Court upholds the decision to keep Trump off the ballot, Maine would have to inform local election officials that votes for him would not be counted.
- Electoral Significance: Maine’s decision is notable due to its practice of splitting electoral votes, which Trump previously won in part during both the 2016 and 2020 elections.
The Associated Press has the story:
Maine court puts Trump ballot decision on hold until after Supreme Court acts
Newslooks- PORTLAND, Maine (AP) —
A Maine judge on Wednesday put on hold a decision on former President Donald Trump’s ballot status to allow time for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on a similar case in Colorado.
Trump’s lawyers appealed in state court when Secretary of State Shenna Bellows removed the Republican front-runner from the presidential primary ballot but then asked the judge to pause proceedings to allow the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the Colorado case, which could render the lawsuit moot.
Superior Court Judge Michaela Murphy denied Trump’s request to stay the proceedings but, with agreement from all parties, she sent the case back to the secretary of state with instructions to await the outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court case before withdrawing, modifying or upholding her original decision.
In her decision, the judge said that the issues raised in the Maine case mirror the issues raised in the Colorado case before the U.S. Supreme Court. She wrote that her decision “minimizes any potentially destabilizing effect of inconsistent decisions and will promote greater predictability in the weeks ahead of the primary election.”
Bellows concluded last month that Trump didn’t meet ballot qualifications under the insurrection clause in the U.S. Constitution, citing his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. She became the first election official to ban Trump from the ballot under the 14th Amendment.
The nation’s highest court has never ruled on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits those who “engaged in insurrection” from holding office. Some legal scholars say the post-Civil War clause applies to Trump for his role in trying to overturn the 2020 presidential election and encouraging his backers to storm the U.S. Capitol after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Activists conducted a campaign urging election officials to bar Trump under the clause.
Bellows, a Democrat, was reviewing the judge’s decision Wednesday and had no immediate comment, her spokesperson said. Bellows already had delayed implementation of her decision pending the outcome of the court cases. She had said she would follow the rule of law and abide by any legal decision.
She made her ruling a week after Colorado became the first state to bar Trump from the ballot, although the decision in that state, too, has been paused pending the outcome of its appeal in the nation’s highest court. The U.S. Supreme Court scheduled arguments for Feb. 8.
Trump, who won the Iowa caucuses on Monday, remains on the Maine ballot for the March 5 primary for now, given a Saturday deadline for sending overseas ballots. If the U.S. Supreme Court allows Trump to be kept off the ballot, then Bellows would have to notify local election officials that votes cast for him would not be counted.
Maine has just four electoral votes, but it’s one of two states to split them. Trump earned one of Maine’s electors when he was elected in 2016 and again in 2020 when he lost reelection.
