A judge in Maine has put legal proceedings related to Donald Trump’s eligibility to appear on the 2024 presidential ballot on hold.
Trump had asked the judge to overturn the decision to remove his name from the state’s Republican primary ballot, but the judge declined, deferring to the Supreme Court.
Per CNN:
The Supreme Court plans to hear oral arguments in a similar case in Colorado early next month. Maine and Colorado are so far the only states to disqualify Trump based on his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Under Maine law, ballot challenges are first handled by the secretary of state, and then can be appealed in state courts. A group of voters filed a challenge in December and Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows ruled that Trump was ineligible for office.
Kennebec County Superior Court Judge Michaela Murphy, who made Wednesday’s ruling, was appointed to the state bench by a Democratic governor in 2007 and then re-appointed in 2015 by then-Gov. Paul LePage, an outspoken Republican and Trump supporter.
While Trump’s critics have succeeded in Maine and Colorado, their efforts fell flat in several other key states where their lawsuits were dismissed on procedural grounds and never reached the critical questions about January 6. This includes cases in Minnesota, New Hampshire, Michigan and Oregon.
The Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether states can prevent Trump from running for office under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.
For the time being, Trump’s name can appear on Maine’s Republican primary ballot.
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