A superior court justice in Maine has ordered the secretary of state to file a new ruling on whether former President Donald Trump can appear on the state’s presidential ballot once the U.S. Supreme Court has made its decision in a similar Colorado case.
Colorado seeks to block Trump from the ballot through a little-used article in the 14th Amendment. The case is due to begin on February 8.
“The court concludes that it lacks authority to stay judicial proceedings as requested by President Trump,” Maine Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy wrote, per The Guardian. “The court concludes, however, that it does have authority … to remand the matter to the secretary [of state] and order her to issue a new ruling once the Supreme Court issues its decision.”
The article in question was enacted in the wake of the Civil War. Its original intent was to block former Confederate leaders from holding office. Legislators who passed the provision feared that Confederates would reenact slavery if they were to gain political power.
Specifically, the article prohibits anyone who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and then participated in an insurrection against it from holding office. Legal scholars debate whether the article can be applied to the presidency or vice presidency. A Colorado state court ruled in November that Trump contributed to an insurrection through his actions on January 6, 2021.
In Maine, Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ordered Trump to be barred from the ballot unilaterally. Trump’s legal team has appealed that ruling in state court. His team appealed the Colorado decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Other state courts have tossed out several different efforts to block Trump from the ballot. The Constitution does not prevent impeached presidents from running for office again — Trump was impeached twice by the U.S. House of Representatives but acquitted by the Senate — but it does bar candidates convicted of certain crimes. He faces 91 criminal charges spread over four cases and many civil charges in various state courts.
Trump is the clear front-runner for the GOP nomination for president. He convincingly won the Iowa primary last week, as The Dallas Express reported. Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out of the race thereafter, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had already withdrawn. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis remains in second place, though Trump’s former UN Secretary Nikki Haley is gaining ground in polling.
The next primary will be in New Hampshire on January 23. Trump is expected to continue his lead in the state.
