Due to the “insurrectionist ban” outlined in the 14th Amendment, former President Donald Trump was removed from the Maine ballot for 2024, according to CNN’s report. This ruling makes Maine the second state to bar Trump from seeking public office, following a similar ruling made earlier this month by the Colorado Supreme Court. An administrative hearing regarding Trump’s eligibility for office was held earlier this month after a group of former state lawmakers, representing both parties, launched the challenge against him.
Maine Secretary of State, Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, issued the decision on Thursday, acknowledging the unprecedented nature of such an action against a presidential candidate.
“I do not reach this conclusion lightly,” Bellows wrote. “Democracy is sacred … I am mindful that no Secretary of State has ever deprived a presidential candidate of ballot access based on Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment. I am also mindful, however, that no presidential candidate has ever before engaged in insurrection.”
The decision by Bellows can be appealed in state court, and it is anticipated that Trump’s legal team will contest this outcome. The issue is expected to escalate to the US Supreme Court, where many legal experts believe it will ultimately be settled for the entire country, according to CNN.
A growing number of opponents are attempting to enforce the constitutional clause meant to guard against anti-democratic insurrectionists. Trump, who denies any wrongdoing in relation to the events of January 6, 2021, and dismisses the legal challenges as baseless, is up against this opposition.