Trump stays on Maine ballot pending SCOTUS ruling: court

On Wednesday evening, Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court dismissed an appeal brought forth by Democratic Secretary of State Shenna Bellows over a lower court allowing 2024 GOP frontrunner Donald Trump to remain on the state’s primary ballot.

Maine’s top court wrote in its unanimous opinion, "The Secretary of State suggests that there is irreparable harm because a delay in certainty about whether Trump’s name should appear on the primary ballot will result in voter confusion."

"This uncertainty is, however, precisely what guides our decision not to undertake immediate appellate review in this particular case."

In December, Bellows ruled that Trump was ineligible to appear on the state’s primary ballot under the 14th Amendment, coming after Colorado removed Trump for the same reason.

In January, Maine’s Superior Court ruled that Trump will remain on the ballot pending the US Supreme Court’s ruling in the Colorado case, arguments for which will take place on February 8.

Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said in a statement, "This evening, in Maine, Crooked Joe Biden was dealt a devastating in blow in his desperate attempt to remove President Trump’s name from the ballot and to deprive tens of millions of Americans of the right to vote for the candidate of their choice."

"This disenfranchisement effort, lead by Crooked Joe’s Democrat acolyte and desperate partisan Secretary of State, was soundly rejected by Maine's Supreme Court in a dismissal of the Secretary’s appeal of a prior order, which kept President Trump on the ballot. President Trump is confident that the United States Supreme Court will ultimately be fair and eliminate these meritless, sham ‘14th Amendment’ cases once and for all. Until then, President Trump will continue to fight them off at every turn. Make America Great Again!"

The Maine Supreme Judicial Court wrote that the parties in the case agreed that Bellows' decision should be paused until the Colorado case was decided, adding "Given that, we cannot conclude that concrete, irreparable harm would flow from our decision not to review this matter immediately."

"Indeed, there is at least as great a risk of additional process and delay if we consider this appeal and reach an ostensibly final decision, and then the Supreme Court’s decision makes additional court or administrative action necessary to comply with the federal law it announces with no clear path for resolution."

Maine Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal by Hannah Nightingale on Scribd