A Maine court judge ordered the suspension of the decision to exclude former United States President Donald Trump from the state's primary ballot until the Supreme Court hands out a ruling on the issue.
The Wednesday development involves Justice Michael Murphy of Maine Superior Court who said that Secretary of State Shenna Bellows was forced under state law to quickly rule on the matter. She noted that the official made the decision without the benefit of the high court's input.
The situation comes as the country's highest court has agreed to review the matter, at Trump's request, particularly an earlier decision by a Colorado court to exclude him from the state's ballot. The Supreme Court is expected to start hearing arguments in the ballot disqualification case on Feb. 8.
Murphy said that Bellows confronted an uncertain legal landscape when she issued her ruling to exclude Trump from Maine's primary ballot. The judge added that the secretary of state should be afforded the opportunity to assess the effect and application of her ruling after the Supreme Court issues a ruling, as per the New York Times.
The judge added that the Supreme Court's acceptance of the Colorado case changes everything about the order in which the issues should be decided, and by which court. Maine is unusual in requiring that its secretary of state rule on ballot eligibility questions before the courts take them up.
There have been many Maine voters who objected to the former president's presidential campaign and had petitioned Bellows to keep his name off the primary ballot. In legal briefs and during a hearing last month, they argued that the Republican businessman was not eligible to hold public office due to engaging in insurrection by encouraging the siege on Capitol Hill.
In Bellows' Dec. 28, 2023, decision, she sided with voters who argued against Trump's presidential candidacy. The state official noted that Trump was ineligible to be president because he used "a false narrative of election fraud to inflame his supporters" after he lost the 2020 election against Joe Biden.
Supreme Court Takes on Colorado Case
The controversy surrounding Trump's eligibility to hold public office revolves around Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which states that candidates are disallowed if they have engaged in insurrection, according to NPR.
While Maine's primary is scheduled for Mar. 5, Judge Murphy noted that "unless the Supreme Court before that date finds President Trump disqualified to hold the office of president," eligible Maine voters who support the former president in the primary will be allowed to do so and the winner will be determined by ranked-choice voting.
She said that under state law, she is authorized to send the matter back to Bellows and order the secretary of state to issue a new ruling after the Supreme Court completes its review of the Colorado case.
The Maine judge gave Bellows 30 days following the Supreme Court's ruling to issue the new decision that would modify, withdraw, or confirm her original determination about the Republican businessman's eligibility to hold public office, said CBS News.
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