Maine court defers ruling on election official disqualifying Trump because of 14th Amendment

Maine's top trial court has deferred a ruling on whether to uphold or overturn the Maine secretary of state's decision that former President Donald Trump is disqualified from appearing on the 2024 primary ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, also known as the «insurrection clause.»

Justice Michaela Murphy in Kennebec County Superior Court wrote in a 17-page decision on Wednesday that she wanted to «promote consistency and avoid voter confusion» ahead of the state's March 5 primary by declining to rule on the «unprecedented issues» that are already set to be considered in a separate case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Murphy denied the Trump team's appeal of Secretary of State Shenna Bellows' December decision and his motion to stay the court's proceedings but also stayed Bellows' ruling pending the outcome before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The nation's highest court said on Jan. 5 that it would consider a similar 14th Amendment challenge to Trump out of Colorado, after that state's top court ruled the former president ineligible for their primary ballot under the disqualification clause.

The U.S. Supreme Court set oral arguments for Feb. 8.

Murphy ordered Bellows to make a new ruling on Trump's qualifications within 30 days of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on the 14th Amendment challenge out of Colorado. Bellows must then either confirm, modify or withdraw her prior decision, Murphy decided.

Bellows, a Democrat, on Dec. 28 ruled Trump ineligible to be on the state's 2024 primary ballot because of actions surrounding the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, finding that he violated Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

She found that the rioting was carried out «at the behest of, and with the knowledge and support