Current:Home > MarketsMaine's top election official asks state supreme court to review Trump ballot eligibility decision -EverVision Finance
Maine's top election official asks state supreme court to review Trump ballot eligibility decision
View
Date:2025-04-17 15:48:53
Washington — Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows asked the state's highest court to review her decision to keep former President Donald Trump off the 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot, seeking its intervention after a Maine superior court judge paused Bellows' ruling while the U.S. Supreme Court considers a similar dispute over Trump's eligibility.
"I know both the constitutional and state authority questions are of grave concern to many," Bellows, a Democrat, said in a statement Friday. "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 and 15 other states hold their GOP presidential primaries on March 5, known as Super Tuesday.
Bellows determined last month that Trump is ineligible for the presidency under a Civil War-era constitutional provision and should therefore be kept off Maine's primary ballot. Trump appealed the decision to the Maine Superior Court, and a judge on Wednesday put Bellows' decision on hold while the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a similar challenge to the former president's candidacy from Colorado.
In her ruling, Superior Court Justice Michaela Murphy also sent the matter back to Bellows for additional proceedings as needed in light of the Supreme Court's forthcoming decision. Once the nation's highest court weighs in, Bellows has 30 days to issue a new decision "modifying, withdrawing or confirming" her December determination about Trump's eligibility, Murphy said.
Bellows said in her statement she welcomes a ruling from the nation's highest court "that provides guidance as to the important Fourteenth Amendment questions" raised in the Colorado case, but noted that Maine law allows her to seek review from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
The request from Maine's top election official means that a second state high court could address whether Trump is constitutionally eligible for a second term in the White House under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment before the Supreme Court hears arguments Feb. 8.
Trump's lawyers on Thursday urged the justices in his opening brief to "put a swift and decisive end" to efforts to exclude him from the 2024 ballot, which have been pursued in more than 30 states. Trump's brief warned that the challenges to his candidacy threaten to disenfranchise millions of his supporters and "promise to unleash chaos and bedlam if other state courts and state officials follow Colorado's lead and exclude the likely Republican presidential nominee from their ballots."
- In:
- Donald Trump
- Maine
Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.
TwitterveryGood! (528)
Related
- Sam Taylor
- A lost hiker ignored rescuers' phone calls, thinking they were spam
- How Jimmy Kimmel Addressed Will Smith's Oscars Slap During 2023 Ceremony
- Erika Hamden: What does it take to send a telescope into the stratosphere?
- NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
- Rep. Paul Gosar shared an anime video of himself killing AOC. This was her response
- Emily Blunt's White Hot Oscars 2023 Entrance Is Anything But Quiet
- All the Ways Everything Everywhere All at Once Made Oscars History
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- 3 Former U.S. Intelligence Operatives Admit Hacking For United Arab Emirates
Ranking
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- What Sen. Blumenthal's 'finsta' flub says about Congress' grasp of Big Tech
- GoDaddy Is Booting A Site That Sought Anonymous Tips About Texas Abortions
- Ordering food on an app is easy. Delivering it could mean injury and theft
- Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon
- Mindy Kaling Turns Heads With White-Hot Dress on Oscars 2023 Red Carpet
- Cupshe Flash Sale: Save 85% on Swimsuits, Cover-Ups, Dresses, and More
- Rare giant otter triplets born at wildlife park
Recommendation
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Planning for a space mission to last more than 50 years
The hidden costs of holiday consumerism
Is The Future Of The Internet In The Metaverse?
'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
Oscars 2023: See All the Couples Bringing Movie Magic to the Red Carpet
The Push For Internet Voting Continues, Mostly Thanks To One Guy
Transcript: Asa Hutchinson on Face the Nation, April 16, 2023