On Wednesday, a Maine court postponed a ruling on former President Donald Trump's ballot eligibility until the Supreme Court rules on a similar dispute in Colorado
Trump's attorneys appealed in state court after Secretary of State Shenna Bellows pulled the Republican front-runner from the presidential primary ballot, but then they requested the judge to delay proceedings until the Supreme Court could rule on the Colorado case, which might conclude the fight.
Superior Court Judge Michaela Murphy wrote that she failed to stay the judicial proceedings but could send the case back to the secretary of state to await the U.S. Supreme Court decision before withdrawing, modifying, or upholding her decision.
In her judgment, the judge stated the Maine case's difficulties resemble the Colorado case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Her judgment “minimizes any potentially destabilizing effect of inconsistent decisions and will promote greater predictability in the weeks ahead of the primary election,” she said. “Put simply, the United State Supreme Court's acceptance of the Colorado case changes everything,” she wrote.
Last month, Bellows determined that Trump didn't fulfill ballot conditions under the insurrection clause due to his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack. The first election official to prohibit Trump under the 14th Amendment was her. Trump said Bellows was prejudiced and had too much power.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars “engaged in insurrection” from office, has never been decided by the Supreme Court. Because Trump tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election and encouraged his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol after losing to Democrat Joe Biden, some legal academics argue the post-Civil War clause applies to him. A campaign by activists urged election authorities to exclude Trump under the provision.
A representative for Democrat Bellows said she was examining the judge's judgment Wednesday and had no immediate reaction. Bellows had postponed her judgment until the legal battles were over. She promised to obey any court order.
She ruled a week after Colorado became the first state to exclude Trump from the ballot, although its decision has been halted awaiting an appeal to the Supreme Court. On Feb. 8, the Supreme Court will hear arguments.
Trump, who won the Iowa caucuses on Monday, remains on the Maine March 5 primary ballot due to a Saturday deadline for foreign ballots. Bellows would have to tell local election officials that Trump votes would not be tallied if the Supreme Court keeps him off the ballot. Maine is one of two states to split its four electoral votes. Trump received one Maine elector in 2016 and again in 2020 after losing reelection.