Maine\u2019s Democrat Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, on Thursday determined that former President Donald Trump is ineligible to appear on the state\u2019s ballot, but the decision will not be carried out until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on the controversial state rulings, which continue to pile up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like the left-leaning justices in Colorado, Bellows said Trump is disqualified based on Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment, or the Insurrection Clause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the ruling, Bellows wrote that she held a hearing on December 15 on three challenges to Trump\u2019s nomination. The first two, she said, \u201ccontest Mr. Trump\u2019s qualification for office under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe third challenge, filed by Paul Gordon (the \u2018Gordon Challenge\u2019), contests Mr. Trump\u2019s qualification under the Twenty-Second Amendment,\u201d the ruling reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor the reasons set forth below, I conclude that Mr. Trump\u2019s primary petition is invalid,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSpecifically, I find that the declaration on his candidate consent form is false because he is not qualified to hold the office of the President under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment,\u201d it reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite that, Bellows\u2019 decision will not be carried out until the Supreme Court finally makes a determination on this issue, \u201cgiven the compressed timeframe, the novel constitutional questions involved, the importance of this case, and impending ballot preparation deadlines,\u201d per the secretary of state\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her decision follows a legal filing from Trump\u2019s team on Wednesday arguing that Bellows should recuse herself from the case, deeming<\/a> her a \u201ccompletely biased Democrat partisan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The decision also follows<\/a> the Colorado Supreme Court ruling in a 4-3 opinion that the Constitution\u2019s \u2018Insurrection Clause\u2019 prohibits former Trump from appearing on the ballot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe consider and reject President Trump\u2019s argument that his speech on January 6 was protected by the First Amendment,\u201d the ruling reads in part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Trump\u2019s team is appealing the decision, and his name will still appear on the Colorado primary ballot as that process plays out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith the appeal filed, Donald Trump will be included as a candidate on Colorado\u2019s 2024 Presidential Primary Ballot when certification occurs on January 5, 2024, unless the US Supreme Court declines to take the case or otherwise affirms the Colorado Supreme Court ruling,\u201d Colorado\u2019s Secretary of State Jena Griswold office said<\/a> in a press release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This update is not surprising, however, as the court stated<\/a> in its own opinion that the ruling would be stayed until January 4, 2024, and that the stay would continue if anyone filed a cert petition by that day. The ruling stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If review is sought in the Supreme Court before the stay expires on January 4, 2024, then the stay shall remain in place, and the Secretary will continue to be required to include President Trump\u2019s name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot, until the receipt of any order or mandate from the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump\u2019s team quickly made it clear that it would do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Colorado Supreme Court issued a completely flawed decision tonight and we will swiftly file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court and a concurrent request for a stay of this deeply undemocratic decision,\u201d Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have full confidence that the Supreme Court will quickly rule in our favor and finally put an end to these un-American lawsuits,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The news also follows the Michigan Supreme Court rejecting an appeal rooted in the Constitution\u2019s \u201cInsurrection Clause\u201d \u2014 although on procedural grounds \u2014 meaning Trump will remain on the ballot for the upcoming primary in that state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Breitbart News detailed<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the Michigan Supreme Court did not delve into whether or not it believed Trump engaged in insurrection as rooted in Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment. Rather, the court rejected the attempt to appeal, lodged by an advocacy group, on procedural grounds, leaving undisturbed the decision from the Michigan Court of Appeals. The lower court determined that the question is irrelevant at this point in time in relation to Trump\u2019s placement on the presidential primary ballot in the Wolverine State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump\u2019s legal team, meanwhile, remains confident that the Supreme Court will ultimately rule in their favor<\/a>, as these instances of \u201clawfare\u201d continue to pile up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n