Former President Donald Trump has been kicked off the ballot in another state.
On Thursday, Maine’s State of State Shenna Bellows removed the former president from the ballot, citing the clause of the 14th Amendment that prohibits individuals who engaged in an insurrection after taking an oath to uphold the Constitution from holding office again.
“I do not reach this conclusion lightly,” Bellows wrote in her decision.
She added, “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 Trump campaign is expected to appeal the ruling.
In a statement, the campaign said, “We are witnessing, in real-time, the attempted theft of an election and the disenfranchisement of the American voter.”
The Associated Press notes, “While Maine has just four electoral votes, it’s one of two states to split them. Trump won one of Maine’s electors in 2020, so having him off the ballot there should he emerge as the Republican general election candidate could have outsized implications in a race that is expected to be narrowly decided.”
Earlier this month, Colorado’s Supreme Court ruled Trump is ineligible to hold office again.
The ruling applies only to Colorado’s ballots and was paused until Jan. 4, the day before the state’s secretary of state has to certify candidates for the primary.
CBS News noted all the justices on the Colorado court were appointed by Democratic governors.
“We conclude that because President Trump is disqualified from holding the office of President under Section Three, it would be a wrongful act under the Election Code for the Secretary to list President Trump as a candidate on the presidential primary ballot,” the majority’s opinion stated.
It added, “Therefore, the Secretary may not list President Trump’s name on the 2024 presidential primary ballot, nor may she count any write-in votes cast for him.”
While officials in Colorado and Maine decided Trump is ineligible to hold off, Michigan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday let stand a ruling from a lower court that ruled state law allows parties to decide which candidates may appear on the ballot for a primary election.
However, Wednesday’s ruling does not prevent a similar legal challenge from being heard if Trump becomes the nominee.
