Donald Trump Disqualified Again as Maine Blocks Ex-POTUS From Ballot Over 14th Amendment

Maine is now the second US state to officially disqualify former President Donald Trump over the 14th Amendment next to Colorado.

Much like the Colorado disqualification, Trump has been disqualified due to the 14th Amendment, which bars any former officer who has engaged in insurrection from holding office. Colorado previously found Trump did engage in an insurrection on January 6, 2021.

However, instead of the Maine Supreme Court, the disqualification was actually headed by Maine's Democratic secretary of state, Shenna Bellows, who removed Trump's name from the state's presidential primary ballot under the Constitution's insurrection clause on Thursday.

While Colorado was the first state to disqualify Trump, a decision that is still being challenged by the twice-impeached former president's allies, Bellows has become the first election official to take action unilaterally regarding Trump and the 14th Amendment.

"I do not reach this conclusion lightly," the Maine Secretary of State wrote in her 34-page decision to disqualify Trump from the ballot. "I am mindful that no Secretary of State has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment. I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection."

"The US Constitution does not tolerate an assault on the foundations of our government, and Section 336 requires me to act in response," she added. "Given the compressed timeframe, the novel constitutional questions involved, the importance of this case, and impending ballot preparation deadlines, I will suspend the effect of my decision until the Superior Court rules on any appeal, or the time to appeal...has expired."

The Colorado decision has been stayed and is expected to be decided on by the US Supreme Court. This means that until then, the former president is still eligible to continue his campaign, according to the Associated Press.

Donald Trump Campaign Says It Will Appeal Maine Disqualification

The ruling by the Maine Secretary of State noted that it can be appealed to the Superior Court within five days, and as expected, the rump campaign said it would appeal.

"We will quickly file a legal objection in state court to prevent this atrocious decision in Maine from taking effect," said in a statement before claiming, "We are witnessing, in real-time, the attempted theft of an election and the disenfranchisement of the American voter."

Donald Trump Also Facing Other Disqualification Cases in Other States Regarding 14th Amendment

While Colorado and Maine have decided to disqualify Trump from the ballot, Michigan has ruled that Trump can stay, but that may mostly be because of a technicality in the state's election laws.

However, Trump is not just facing disqualification on the grounds of the 14th Amendment in these three states but also in others. As News Nation reported, these include Minnesota, Oregon, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Wyoming, and Florida. There are also pending cases in Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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