Maine’s Portland (AP) — The top court in Maine on Wednesday night declined to comment on whether former President Donald Trump can continue to appear on the state’s ballot, upholding a judge’s ruling that the US Supreme Court must first make a ruling in a case that is similar to one in Colorado. Under the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause, Democrat Shenna Bellows determined that Trump did not qualify for the ballot; however, a judge postponed her ruling until the Supreme Court ruled on a related case in Colorado. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled unanimously to reject Bellows’ appeal of the ruling ordering her to hold off on making any changes to her decision to keep Trump off the Super Tuesday primary ballot until after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling.

The Secretary of State claims that there will be irreversible damage since voters will become confused if there is a delay in determining whether Trump’s name should appear on the primary ballot. However, it is precisely because of this uncertainty that we have decided not to pursue an immediate appellate review in this specific case,” the court stated.  Bellows became the first election official to remove the Republican front-runner from the ballot under the 14th Amendment when she declared in December that Trump was ineligible. The state supreme court in Colorado came to the same decision. 

With Maine’s March 5 primary quickly approaching, the timelines are short. On February 8, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the Colorado case; in the meantime, Maine has started mailing ballots abroad.

Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which forbids persons who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office, has never been decided by the nation’s highest court. According to some legal experts, Trump’s involvement in the effort to rig the 2020 presidential election and his encouragement of supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol following his defeat by Democrat Joe Biden qualify him under the post-Civil War clause. According to Trump, Bellows was biased against him and ought to have recused herself. According to Trump, her actions violated Maine voters’ rights and were a part of a larger plot to prevent him from winning the election. Following several residents’ challenges to Trump’s eligibility to appear on the primary ballot, Bellows—who was chosen by the Democratic-controlled Legislature—said she was required by state law to make a decision. She promised to follow the court’s final decision and postponed deciding Trump’s eligibility to appear on the ballot while legal actions were ongoing.

With Maine’s March 5 primary quickly approaching, the timelines are short. On February 8, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in the Colorado case; in the meantime, Maine has started mailing ballots abroad. Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which forbids persons who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office, has never been decided by the nation’s highest court. According to some legal experts, Trump’s involvement in the effort to rig the 2020 presidential election and his encouragement of supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol following his defeat by Democrat Joe Biden qualify him under the post-Civil War clause.

Bellows was biased against Trump, according to Trump, and she ought to have recused herself. Trump claimed that her actions violated Maine voters’ rights to vote and were a part of a larger plot to prevent him from running for office. Bellows, who was chosen by the Legislature, which is controlled by Democrats, claimed that she was required by state law to reach a decision following multiple citizens’ challenges to Trump’s eligibility for the primary ballot. She promised to follow the final decision made by a court and postponed making a decision regarding Trump’s eligibility to appear on the ballot.

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