On Thursday, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows disqualified Donald Trump from its primary ballot following Colorado’s Supreme Court’s ruling that he is ineligible due to his participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Citizens across the nation have filed multiple lawsuits seeking to keep Donald Trump off of state ballots, yet most were rejected until Colorado made its ruling and this case is expected to make it all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’s decision
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows issued a ruling Thursday that could have far-reaching ramifications on the 2024 Republican primary: she removed Donald Trump from being on the ballot under an obscure clause of the 14th Amendment that prohibits those engaging in “insurrection or rebellion” from holding office.
Following Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling that removed Trump from that state’s ballot, both cases will likely reach the U.S. Supreme Court for consideration of state ballot challenges against presidential candidates.
As soon as the Maine ruling was issued, the Trump campaign pledged its intent to appeal. They plan on filing a legal objection within five days in state court that will stop this “atrocious decision” from taking effect and thus delay its enforcement until their appeal has been determined.
Why Bellows’s decision
On Thursday, Bellows issued her ruling against Trump being eligible to appear on Maine’s Republican primary ballot in response to three administrative challenges that had been lodged against him under state law. She presided over a hearing on all the challenges during which both his lawyers and those lodging them presented their arguments for resolution.
Bellows relied on a Civil War-era provision of the Constitution which prohibits those who “incite insurrection” from seeking office and running for political office, like Donald Trump. Her ruling follows one handed down this month by Colorado Supreme Court which banned Trump from running there as well.
Trump’s campaign has denounced these decisions as attempts at meddling with the electoral process and has pledged to appeal them in state court. Legal experts expect this matter will ultimately reach the Supreme Court, where it must be decided how best to interpret 14th Amendment’s insurrection ban.
Bellows’s reasoning
Under Maine’s process for challenging ballot spots, voters can file complaints and request hearings – an action taken by Bellows (a Democrat) on three challenges lodged against Trump’s primary nomination petition.
She concluded that the frontrunner for Republican presidential nomination in 2024 incited an uprising by making false allegations about voter fraud during the 2020 elections and inciting his supporters to protest their results.
She cited Section Three of the US Constitution, which stipulates that anyone engaging in insurrection cannot hold public office. Her decision follows an earlier ruling in Colorado but both decisions will likely be appealed before finally reaching the Supreme Court, where they may determine if its clause applies to presidential candidates as well.
Bellows’s decision to pause her decision
Maine’s election official’s ruling marks a significant step in activists’ nationwide effort to remove Donald Trump from ballots, potentially prompting more states to follow suit should it withstand court scrutiny, and forcing Trump into an extended legal battle.
Secretary of state Shenna Bellows held that Donald Trump violated Section 3 of the Constitution which forbids anyone who engages in insurrection or gives aid and comfort to rebel groups against government from running for office. Shenna Bellows found this illegal, ruling that Trump violated it before running.
Maine may be small in population but boasts four electoral votes that could play a pivotal role in an extremely close Electoral College race, so Democratic-leaning Maine plans on filing an appeal with Maine Superior Court.
Bellows’s decision to appeal
Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ decision to disqualify Donald Trump from Maine’s 2024 primary is an important milestone in efforts to keep him off of the ballot. Bellows, a Democrat who has long been critical of President Donald Trump, recently posted tweets calling the Capitol riots an “insurrection”. Additionally, Donald Trump’s attorneys asked her to recuse herself from this case.
Maine law mandates the Secretary of State as the official to rule on ballot eligibility challenges and can be challenged through court. According to reports from The Trump Campaign, they intend to file an objection with Superior Court against this “atrocious decision,” in an effort to stop its taking effect and force Supreme Court to make their own determination about it in due time.