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Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination for
November's U.S. presidential election, asked a state Superior
Court to reverse a decision from Secretary of State Shenna
Bellows barring Trump from the March 5 primary ballot.
Bellows, a Democrat, concluded that Trump incited an
insurrection in an attempt to hold onto power following his
defeat in the 2020 election and was disqualified from holding
office again under the U.S. Constitution.
Trump's lawyers argued in a court filing that the decision was
"the product of a process infected by bias and pervasive lack of
due process." His legal team disputed that Trump took part in an
insurrection and argued that Bellows did not have the authority
to exclude him from the ballot.
The ruling came after a group of former Maine lawmakers
petitioned Bellows to keep Trump off the ballot, arguing that he
could not serve as president under a provision of the U.S.
Constitution that bars people from holding office if they
engaged in "insurrection" after swearing an oath to the United
States.
"I have confidence in my decision and in the rule of law,"
Bellows said in a statement after the appeal was filed.
Advocacy groups and some anti-Trump voters have brought several
challenges to Trump’s candidacy under the provision, known as
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. The lawsuits have argued that
Trump incited his supporters to violence by spreading false
claims that the 2020 election was stolen and then urged them to
descend upon the Capitol to stop Congress from certifying
Democrat Joe Biden's victory.
The U.S. Supreme Court is likely to consider the issue soon,
after Colorado’s top court barred Trump from the primary ballot
in that state. A ruling from the Supreme Court could provide a
nationwide resolution to questions surrounding Trump’s
eligibility.
Several similar lawsuits filed against Trump in other states
have been rejected by courts. Trump’s campaign has called the
ballot challenges a “hostile assault on American democracy.”
Opinion polls show Trump with a commanding lead in the
Republican nominating contest. State-by-state contests to select
a nominee begin on Jan. 15 in Iowa.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Scott Malone, Nick
Zieminski and Bill Berkrot)
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