Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows has delayed issuing a decision on former President Donald Trump’s eligibility to appear on the state’s presidential primary ballot following the Colorado Supreme Court decision earlier this week.
Originally, Secretary Bellows was expected to make a determination by the end of the day on Friday, December 22, but according to a statement shared with the press, she will now be announcing her decision early next week.
During an eight-hour hearing held this past Friday, the Secretary heard arguments from the three parties challenging the former Pres. Trump’s ability to appear on Maine’s presidential primary ballot next year, as well as from Trump’s legal counsel and Rep. Mike Sobeleski (R-Phillips), who filed a letter of intervention in defense of the former president.
A focal point of the hearing was a Civil War era provision in the Constitution — Section 3 of the 14th Amendment — which disqualifies those who have “engaged in insurrection or rebellion,” or provided “aid or comfort” to enemies of the United States from holding a series of elected offices.
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment reads:
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Throughout the course of these lengthy proceedings, a wide variety of issues were discussed by the parties, ranging from the Secretary’s authority to issue a decision on the matter, to the scope and meaning of Section 3, to the events that transpired on January 6, 2021.
Whereas in Maine, challenges to a potential candidate’s qualifications are resolved through an administrative process, Colorado election law is such that voters must file a lawsuit if they wish to pursue a claim that someone is ineligible to appear on the ballot.
Similar to the administrative challenges filed against the former president in Maine, a lawsuit was brought against Trump in Colorado, alleging that he is ineligible to appear on the ballot because he engaged in insurrection on January 6, 2021.
On Tuesday, the state’s Supreme Court ruled 4-3 in favor of the challengers, barring the former president from being listed as a candidate in the 2024 presidential primary.
This decision marked the first time in United States history that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment has been used to disqualify a presidential candidate.
The court did, however, stay its ruling until January 4, 2024 — the day before the Colorado Secretary of State must certify the content of the presidential primary ballot — pending any potential review by the United States Supreme Court.
If Supreme Court review is sought prior to the January 4, 2024 deadline, the stay will remain in place and the former president’s name will appear on next year’s primary ballot unless an order or mandate requiring otherwise was issued by the Supreme Court.
[RELATED: Colorado SCOTUS Boots Trump Off 2024 Ballot]
Unlike in Colorado, Trump’s eligibility to appear on Maine’s presidential primary ballot is being judged through administrative — as opposed to legal — procedures, and the Secretary of State will ultimately have the final say.
In addition to delaying the issuance of her decision in light of the Colorado ruling, the Secretary has also invited the parties “to file a short supplement to their closing legal briefs addressing the impact, if any, of that decision on this case,” according to the statement shared by the the Secretary’s office.
Bellows has not announced a specific date on which she will be issuing a ruling on Trump’s eligibility to appear on the ballot in 2024, but the Secretary will likely make her decision early next week.
Leftist Cowards. They
r waiting to see how Colorado makes out in the court. If Maine does get brave, they need to be challenged in courts.
or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. FJB, Obama, and Iran anyone?
Two smiling faces of pure evil.
I may be mistaken. but I believe that section of the 14th amendment was added after Lincoln died. It was a stupid addition to add even then. Now our government is planning to open “Pandora’s” box. Our “vetting” of candidates and voting is supposed to “try” their suitability for office. Our current governor was not vetted by our press or media despite all the information being at our and their fingertips. So we have an invasion on our southern border where criminals may be coming in, and we have unvetted politicians in office who may be criminals. And by any standard, legal or otherwise probably are. Jan 6 was not an insurrection because one party said it was, Trump s speech was conspicuously edited just as the 14’000 hrs of security video was edited. We have to start putting a lid on this. Oh, and thank you Libby for the great article.
If bellows issues a response that Trump is removed from the ballot, then the Sec of State budget must pay for the lawsuit that will surely ensue. Make her have to reduce her staff to cover the legal fees for the state. No more taxpayer money covering lawsuits from stupid political PR statements.
f*ck trump
* janet Trust Fund mills and her misandrist white diversity girl team.
Democrats have established a sort of central committee where they use courts and unelected bureaucrats that increasingly bypass our system of a divided government. American citizens have little say about gas engines, gas stoves, gas leaf blowers, and now… who can be on a ballot. When Democrats speak of election reform it is a lot like destroying the Constitution to protect the Constitution. One thing is for certain, they’ll never ease up or back off; it’s literally one thing after another – and everything intended to destroy the United States our ancestors built.
I do not want some elected or appointed person voting for me.
Vote the power grabbers out.
I do not recognize Bellows as anything but an unelected bureaucrat, which has no authority to rule in my stead. But, at this time we have a drug addict governor and leftist control of both houses that have past budgets that have crippled the state financially, have attempted to sell the state to scam businesses of wind and solar most likely for lucrative kickbacks, passed legislation about EV’s that is absolutely stupid, and empowered unelected departments to pass rules and regulations in direct conflict with the constitution. And it seems that residents of Maine are ignorantly happy with it, I say residents, as there are many that aren’t really citizens of Maine. They are carpetbaggers that have moved here from leftist bastions and now want Maine to go the same way. Maine is fast losing credibility in the country and respect from many of it’s true citizens.
If President Trump is removed from the Maine ballot then we no longer live in a free country. Why do we allow people in these positions make decisions for us. President Trump has neither been found guilty or even charged of such allegations. This a belief of these leftist bureaucrats that they are trying to make us believe of their false narrative. This is election interference point blank!! Another way of trying to cheat their way to win an election, this is the only way the DEMOCRATS can win! This is disgusting!!