Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has formally requested the state’s Supreme Judicial Court to review her controversial decision to exclude former President Donald Trump from the 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot.
According to a CBS News report on January 19, 2024, Bellows, a Democrat, initiated this appeal after asserting last month that Trump’s candidacy violates a Civil War-era constitutional provision, rendering him ineligible for the presidency. This decision has triggered a legal battle that spans both state and federal courts.
The Maine Superior Court temporarily halted Bellows’ ruling on Wednesday, pending the U.S. Supreme Court’s deliberation on a similar dispute arising from Colorado.
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In a statement issued on Friday, Bellows expressed her commitment to addressing the constitutional and state authority questions surrounding Trump’s eligibility, stating, “This appeal ensures that Maine’s highest court has the opportunity to weigh in now, before ballots are counted, promoting trust in our free, safe, and secure elections.”
Maine, along with 15 other states, is set to hold its GOP presidential primaries on March 5, commonly known as Super Tuesday. Bellows’ decision has introduced uncertainty into the electoral process, prompting increased scrutiny of the legal foundations of Trump’s eligibility.
Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy, in her ruling, not only temporarily suspended Bellows’ decision but also remanded the matter back to the Secretary of State for additional proceedings in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s impending decision. Murphy’s directive stipulates a 30-day window for Bellows to issue a new decision based on the Supreme Court’s guidance.
Bellows welcomed the prospect of the U.S. Supreme Court offering insights into the crucial Fourteenth Amendment questions raised in the Colorado case. However, she emphasized that Maine law empowers her to seek a review directly from the state’s Supreme Judicial Court.
This request brings a second state high court into the debate over Trump’s constitutional eligibility for a second term, specifically under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The timing is crucial, as the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on February 8, creating a backdrop of legal complexity leading up to the primaries.
Responding swiftly to these developments, Trump’s legal team urged the justices to swiftly and decisively end the efforts to exclude him from the 2024 ballot. In their opening brief, they cautioned that challenges across more than 30 states threatened to disenfranchise millions of Trump supporters, potentially leading to chaos and bedlam if other state courts and officials followed the lead set by Colorado.
