Former President Trump will remain in Maine’s primary election until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on Colorado’s 14th Amendment case, the Maine high court said Wednesday, rejecting an appeal by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D).
++ Survey shows that 67% of Americans do not want a rematch between Trump and Biden
The Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, in a unanimous decision, upheld a lower judge’s order that instructed Bellows to await the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the Colorado election case before taking any action regarding deletion, modification or maintenance of the decision to block Trump’s name from the primary vote scheduled for March 5 in Maine.
++ Survey shows that 67% of Americans do not want a rematch between Trump and Biden
In December 2023, Bellows ruled that Trump could not appear on the ballot based on Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits individuals from holding public office if, after swearing to support the Constitution, they engage in insurrection or rebellion against the United States. By making this decision, Maine became the second state, after Colorado, to bar Trump from the polls due to his role in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump appealed the decision to state court, and although a judge declined to consider the merits of the case, he ruled that Trump could remain on the ballot until the Supreme Court ruled on the Colorado case. Bellows will later need to reevaluate his decision in light of the Supreme Court’s decision.
Bellows warned that overturning Trump’s eligibility ruling would put Maine in a “precarious position,” especially considering the state’s primary is scheduled for March 5, an imminent date. She stressed that voters may vote without having a definitive answer about Trump’s eligibility. The Maine attorney general’s office, representing Bellows, emphasized that suspending the proceedings, followed by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in February, could force the secretary and her team to deal with significant challenges to preserving the integrity of the 5 March 2024.